Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined….For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be on his shoulder…” Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 (KJV)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1: 1, 4-5 (NIV)

Some days it’s just not worth it.

Everything seems to be going in the wrong direction and we don’t see any relief or light anywhere.

Some occasional good news would be a welcome addition to these days. A little light into the prevailing difficulties, disappointments and darkness.

Or maybe something even better. Maybe something forever. Something eternal. A never-ending light—in the darkness.

Really. Seriously.

We’ve been here before. Dark times with seemingly no hope to be found anywhere. Dark times with no light to be seen.

Yet God hadn’t gone away back then, and He hasn’t gone away today.

But, at times, our focus and faith seems to take a back seat to the Light, and to God at work in the world and in our lives.

And He is. Always actively at work for us and our good.

It happened before—over two-thousand years ago—Bethlehem morning.

When a Light came into the world which all the darkness could not overcome or extinguish.

And it has been here ever since, despite allowing the darkness of our world and lives to take a bat to our faith, and to divert our focus from that Light every now and then.

Bethlehem morning.

A star beamed bright in the sky, and their world back then and our world today was forever changed.

Look, stuff happens, and it will. A loved one is lost. A child goes the wrong way. Tests result in the word cancer spilling from the doctor’s lips. An addiction grabs someone by the throat and won’t let go.

We can’t forgive someone, or forgive ourselves for a mistake or a misstep, and so we wander aimlessly in the darkness from place to place—never reaching our God-given potential and purpose He knit within us when we were created.

But wait. The Light has come.

And with it the reminder that the star of Bethlehem morning—which broke through the darkness in the world over two-thousand years ago—is still here today.

For you and for me.

No matter what the news of the day.

No matter what is going on in our lives, or the lives of our loved ones—the Light from Bethlehem morning will never grow faint.

No matter our focus being diverted from it at times, or our faith in its presence taking a hit at times—the Light of Bethlehem morning still shines.

A Light for you. A Light for me.

Forever and ever.

In His Name–Scott