Morning Devotional

November  9, 2005
"Christmas Lights, 2005"      
    by Don Emmitte

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O LORD, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and nursing infants to give you praise. They silence your enemies who were seeking revenge. When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers -- the moon and the stars you have set in place -- what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us? For you made us only a little lower than God, and you crowned us with glory and honor. You put us in charge of everything you made, giving us authority over all things -- the sheep and the cattle and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. O LORD, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth! (Psalm 8:1-9 NLT).

“Around Thanksgiving, I am ready to adorn the house with Christmas decorations. I drag out boxes and bins filled with decorations of years gone by, and then go shopping to purchase new ones. Some of the most precious items are those saved from yesteryear, now treasured for the very memories they hold within. Some of the newer Christmas items make decorating simpler, such as exterior carpet lighting. Old and new, they are placed in one room and then another, reminding me of this most special time of year. The tree lights always seem to be a hassle, but worth the efforts when night arrives and the shimmer of tiny lights fills the room.” (So said a dear lady at work recently.)

Well, this year is going to be a little different than years past for us. For one thing we don’t have the same house to decorate! In fact it is very small compared to our home in Texas. In fact, our “front yard” is no bigger that the deck we had in Texas! And we don’t have the roofline to hang our “Aggie Lights.” We’ll still decorate, but it will be different.

The more I thought about how we would decorate this year, the more I began to think of how our decorations cannot compare with those of God. Have you noticed how He trimmed the world? He hung the stars and moon against the black sky, so we could enjoy their light. He gave us colors galore in the form of four seasons. He gave us the sun to make things grow and to warm our aching bones. He ornamented our world with animals to love and people to form tender relationships with. He gave us a heart to seek after Him. He decorated the heart of each of His children with the most beautiful adornment of all. He has wrapped our hearts in His love, and sent us the Christ child, so that we would never be separated from the Father.

I pray this Christmas season, as I continue to add to my household decorations, that I will remember God's decorations, and thank Him for them. Won’t you join me in that thanksgiving?