Christmas eve

The Quiet Beauty of Christmas

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them.”

Luke 2:19 CSB

A little bit ago at this point, we had a small amount of snow come to North Carolina. By snow of course I mean a wintery mix of rain and “snow,” but that’s not the point. What I always love about these moments, is the beauty that comes. I was able to be outside at night and just listen to the snowfall and watch the little bits of it build up around the Christmas lights on the house, it was wonderful, and in this quiet moment, I was able to reflect on all of the joys that I have in my life.

I adore these quiet moments of Christmas, whether it’s the sound of laughter from Violet playing, nothing but the light of the Christmas tree in the living room after everyone is asleep, or the sounds of wrapping paper covering gifts as dear Danielle and I sit on the floor of our room. To me that’s the magic and it reminds me of the importance to embrace the quiet moments in our lives.

When you embrace the quiet beauty in life, your perspective shifts to the holy gift that Christ gives to each of us.

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Joy in Every Season

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“But the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

Luke 2:10 CSB

Every night during our bedtime routine with Violet, we pray, and always end our prayers by saying “amen.” Violet loves this part, because since she is basically a sponge soaking everything from us up, and she belts out a big, “AMEN,” and it’s just so perfect. It’s her saying something we say every night with so much joy.

I love it so much every time I hear it.

It reminds me of the core message of this Christmas season, that we can have great joy because of God’s great gift.

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Peace: The Blessing of Uncertainty

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

I am continually amazed by how terrifying life feels. It never seems like there is a clear direction, and as much as I would love for someone to show up and tell me what I need to do, this has never seemed to be the case. Maybe it would be to bizarre for me to understand the plan, or maybe my current way of thinking hasn’t gone through the growth it needs to experience the plans of the future. Last week I talked about the reflection and growth that comes with the new seasons, looking back at the blessings of what brought you here. The thing is, it brings us to now, and what do I do now?

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Be the Light

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

The day is finally here! It’s Christmas Eve, hopefully you have all your gifts ready to go, and if not, I wish you luck with the chaos that will be happening today. Christmas is always such a magical time, there is so much going on and it can be easy to grow distracted with all the cooking, family gatherings, and making sure you’ve got the perfect gift for that person who is always so hard to shop for. Christmas can also be a challenging season. With emphasis on family and being joyful for what you have, this can be very difficult for some to cope with loss, heartache and fear of the unknown. For me personally, this Christmas has been a time of fun and uncertainty mixed together as the new year has many unknowns. So, what do we do? What can we do is we find ourselves busy and uncertain all at the same time as having to put on a happy face? I think the key is actually simple, just difficult to fully accept and believe. I say this, because it is something that I have to accept and navigate as well. This isn’t me saying, “this will change your life in a few easy steps,” really, it’s the beginning of how to grow and mature in your life. We have been called to humble ourselves and love others; in other words, we are called to be the light.

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