Friday night I attended a special meeting at church for those who are grieving or have experienced loss around the holidays. With me was our good friend R., who recently lost his mother.

It was a quiet, healing time for all. Some, like R., who lost a loved one this year, were deeply comforted by the love of God shared and simply being together.

Others, like myself, had time to reflect on other kinds of losses we have experienced, and how God’s grace and goodness have carried us through.

Jesus tells us that here on earth there will be sorrow, yet in Him we find peace:

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.  (John 16:33)

Seasons of trials, loneliness, and sorrow come to all of us at times. They don’t just disappear because we turn the calendar to December.

While songs of holiday joy fill workplaces and shopping malls, hospitals remain full. For some, loved ones will not be home for Christmas. Family in the military, broken relationships, illness, loss of loved ones, and a thousand other trials big and small continue to fill people’s lives, even through this season of “cheer.”

Christmas isn’t about pretending everything is fine when it isn’t. It’s about turning our eyes to things above, accepting God’s love into our hearts, and remembering the greatest gift ever given: His wonderful Son.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  (John 3:1)

The holidays present a special time to extend the love of Christ to those in need, to bring hope to the hopeless, and to shine as lights in a dark and troubled world.

Do you know someone who is feeling the sting of loss this Christmas?

Reach out to them this week with the love of God, and remind them that they are not alone.

It may be the greatest gift they receive.

Copyright © 2018 Cheryl Elton

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With the Christmas season in full swing, it’s easy to become overloaded with the many obligations and expectations it brings.

We can get so busy with the decorating, shopping, concerts, and other activities that we’re fitting into our already packed schedules, that we lose sight of why we’re doing it all to begin with—leaving us feeling drained and overwhelmed.

In an effort to get a handle on our endless to-do lists, it’s easy to rush into the day, spending little or no time with the One who helps us most!

St. Francis de Sales said:

Every Christian needs a half-hour of prayer each day, except when he is busy, then he needs an hour.

Let’s let that sink in!

To spend more time in prayer when we’re busy certainly goes against our natural inclinations. Yet the truth of this statement falls in line with the many paradoxes of Christian living: e.g., when we give, we receive; when we praise God through our difficulties, we find joy. 

When we enter the day from a place of rest, and invite Jesus to partner with us as we go about our tasks, our eyes will be open to see Him working; our hearts will be at peace to hear His voice.

We’ll be sharing the yoke with the Master, allowing Him to lighten our loads.

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

With His peace guarding our hearts, we will do less, but accomplish more.

There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest . . .  (Hebrews 4:9-11 NKJV)

In our drive to be productive, let’s remember the thing most worth being concerned about: spending time with the Lord . . . resting in, and enjoying His presence.

Copyright © 2018 Cheryl Elton

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Every December the street behind our local high school becomes a tourist attraction for young and old. Cars wait in line turning onto the street, people stop to take photos, and the oohs and aahs of delight can be heard—all in front of one house—the one known far and wide for its incredible display of Christmas lights.

There’s one in every town, isn’t there?

During the time of Christ’s birth there were no laser lights and inflatable reindeer, but rather, the most spectacular light display ever—“the glory of the Lord”—that shone round about a few modest shepherds who received word from an angel of the birth of the Messiah.                      

The shepherds quickly went to Bethlehem to see if what they heard was true. After finding Mary, Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger, they told everyone what had happened, returning to their flocks glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard.

Light is a prevalent theme throughout Scripture. In Genesis God spoke “let there be light.” First John 1:5 says:

“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, declared that He was the light of the world:

“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12) 

Where light shines, darkness flees!

Where the light of Christ prevails, the dark places in our lives disappear.

As Christians, we’re called to be light-bearers, proclaiming the message of Christ and displaying the light of Christ to a world encased in darkness.

“ . . . that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.” (Philippians 2:15-16) 

We are God’s Christmas lights! 

We were created to bring our heavenly Father glory. As people see Christ living in us, as the shepherds who couldn’t help but share what they had seen and heard, others will also glorify our heavenly Father!

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

May our light shine brightly, not only this Christmas season, but also every day of the new year!

Copyright © 2016 Cheryl Elton

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December brought record-breaking warm temperatures throughout the northeast, with Christmas Eve hitting a balmy 70 degrees in northern New York. Because of this trend, a number of mornings we woke to a heavy fog covering the earth. Motorists were cautioned to drive with care because of limited visibility.

Isn’t our journey through life like travelling through fog? We make our plans, envisioning results to unfold a certain way as we strain to peek ahead, anticipating what may or may not be around the next corner.

Then sometimes, life throws the unforeseen curve ball at us, and we end up travelling an entirely different road than expected.

Yet God assures us, that even through the unanswered questions and unexpected losses of this life, there is a hope that lies ahead.

“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then [at Christ’s appearing in the future] face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12 NKJV) 

The word dimly is en ainigmati in the Greek, from which we get the word enigma. It is the only place this word is used in the New Testament.

How significant that God reminds us in the context of our hope—that our life here and now is in ways puzzling, mysterious, and difficult to understand—but someday we will know, even as we are known by Him.

Other translations use darkly, or imperfectly in this verse. And the Message states it as:

“We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Perhaps this fog—this enigma—is a kind of protection to us, not allowing us to see too far ahead, but calling us back to the present moment—reminding us to hold tightly to the Lord’s hand, as we trust Him to guide us through the places we cannot see.

Someday the fog will be lifted and all will be clearly seen. But until then, we live in His presence, trusting Him to safely guide us down the path ahead, one step at a time.

Copyright © 2015 Cheryl Elton

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With holiday time in full swing, it’s interesting to consider the traditions associated with Christmas. What do decorated trees and wreaths, yule logs, Santa Claus, Christmas cookies, and jingle bells have to do with the birth of Christ?

Answer: Nothing!

What does December 25 have to do with the birth of Jesus Christ?

Answer: Nothing!

Research reveals that Jesus was actually born in the fall of the year. Almost all the customs of Christmas stem from ancient pagan festivals honoring other gods, and didn’t begin until some 300 years after Christ’s death.

And although the Bible records details about the birth of Jesus Christ, there is no record of anyone celebrating it.

So does God really care about all the hoopla surrounding Christmas?

Probably not.

Rather, He cares about our hearts.

Do we become so immersed with activity that we forget about Him? That in our busyness we lose the wonderful peace of His presence?

As we glean the good of the season—helping those in need, talking with others about Jesus at a time of year when needs surface, exchanging gifts with loved ones, appreciating family—may we remember God’s most lavish gift to the world—His Son Jesus Christ.

Please enjoy the following excerpts from Ephesians 1*, reminding us of how special we are to God; the greatest gift, His Son; our wonderful calling to exemplify Christ to the world, and the joy we experience in His presence.

How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. 

Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. 

It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. 

It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life. 

That’s why . . . I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! 

All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe . . . no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.

* From chapter one of Ephesians, Eugene Peterson, The Message (MSG)

Copyright © 2015 Cheryl Elton

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“We have a flat tire,” my husband R. said, as he carefully guided the family van onto the shoulder of the highway.

We had just gotten onto the NY State Thruway when I heard an unmistakable POP, and seconds later a grating noise and THUD THUD THUD.

It was Christmas morning and we were about sixty minutes in on our 2½ hour trip to my sister’s house. Awaiting us—if we got there—would be a delicious prime rib dinner and surely a delightful visit.

As we all got out and surveyed the damage, thoughts quickly turned to the “what should we do’s” and “what if’s”. Unfortunately, the flat was on the driver’s side, which made it all the more precarious to change the tire on the interstate with cars whizzing closely by.

What should we do, Lord? Please show us. We need your help.

Although we have a roadside assistance plan, we thought a call for help on Christmas would likely entail a long cold wait. So R. decided to tackle the flat with the help of sons D. and M. Thankfully, the van was well equipped with the proper tools, including a vehicle-in-distress road reflector.

I quietly prayed while the old tire was removed and the donut spare safely put in place. Meanwhile, a police car had pulled up down the road a bit to alert other drivers to move over.

Mission accomplished. Thank you, God. 

Next rest area we pulled off to check the air pressure in the spare. In the exit lane we saw a man pulled over standing outside his car with a tire iron in hand, struggling with his front tire.

“Guess we’re not the only ones with a flat tire on Christmas day,” I said.

Should we go over, Lord?

R. said he would see if the man needed help. Minutes later, I watched as R., D., M., and this stranger wrestled with tools and tires, struggling to remove the old tire and replace it with the spare. Finally, there were smiles and handshakes and my men headed back to the van.

With joy on their faces they exclaimed, “It’s a good thing we stopped!” “He was in a rental car and didn’t have the right tools to do the job.” “He was on his way to the airport to catch a flight.” “He couldn’t thank us enough.”

Thank you, Father.

As we continued on our trip, I quietly thanked God for His provision for us, and for opening up the door to in turn help another, filling the day with an unexpected blessing. I prayed a blessing on this stranger and that he would safely make it to the airport in time.

How quickly our world changes when the unexpected happens—change that lasts at times just an hour, sometimes a day, or days, weeks—even years.

Yet one thing remains the same.

His presence.

As we trustfully lean on Him in all our circumstances, He not only gives us all we need, but we emerge changed—stronger—better equipped to in turn help another. 

“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 2 Corinthians 1:4 

Praise God for His goodness in our lives—even when things don’t go as planned.

Copyright © 2014 Cheryl Elton

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