Without the genealogy of Christ, the limbs of His past, the branches of His family, the love story of His heart that has been coming for you since before the beginning—how does Christmas and its tree stand? Its roots would be sheared. Its meaning would be stunted. The arresting pause of the miracle would be lost.

-Ann Voskamp, The Greatest Gift

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Checking in today to see how your light is doing.

Mine fizzled out a bit yesterday. Faced some hard truths about myself via a conversation and for a few moments (well, actually a very few moments), a Harsh Breath blew against my light.

Oh, you thought you were glowing again. Felt good, didn’t it? Well, I’ll take care of that.

For a time, I listened and even began entertaining the Harsh Breath’s whispers.

Yes, I did think I was getting my glow back. Oh, how wrong I was. It seems I’ll never be enough. I’ll keep making a mess of things.

But then, I made a decision.

No, Harsh Breath, you are a Liar. I am choosing not to listen to you anymore. Take this.

At that moment, I popped in the brand new Sidewalk Prophets Christmas CD I downloaded on iTunes and something quite beautiful happened.

The Light touched my fading flame.

Track 1, “Oh What a Glorious Night,” permeated my soul and much like you’d see at the end of a Hallmark movie, it began to snow in my heart.

One little flake of light at a time.

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I hit repeat and listened over and over and over again.

The arresting pause of listening to such a powerful song brought a much-needed hush.

Within some time (not really sure how long it was), my flame was flickering bright as ever.

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The words spoken in that conversation made me face some things about myself that need changing.

I am so grateful to be held accountable by those who love me.

Christmas can put undue stress on relationships, but sometimes in the midst of such stress, truth can be spoken and change can occur.

My prayer for you today is simple. If and when you feel a Harsh Breath try to extinguish your light, make a decision to call out to the Light.

Light overcomes Darkness every single time.

Lord Jesus,
You are the Light of the World.
When Harsh Breath comes and speaks words that pierce,
Words that twist and turn and tighten.
Help my dear friends to make a decision.
An immediate and assertive choice to turn to the Light.
The Light that will touch their fading flame.
Remind them that Light overcomes Darkness.
Always. Face the truth, yes, but don’t allow
Harsh Breath to wreck havoc and fade your flame.
Embrace the truth and face transformation.
In Jesus, the Light of the World’s name,
Amen.

A great reading for today: John 1: 1-9.

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