I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas! It’s been such a wild and chaotic month my Journal has been neglected. For the past week we’ve had one party after another – family dinners, gatherings with friends, gift exchanges, a Christmas play in which my niece acted (and she was a terrific Comet!), lunches and outings and shopping with my sister… we barely had time to breathe!

Every so often I had to force myself to stop, take a breath, and focus on the holy Reason for all the celebration – the best Gift of all, given to me by my Father. I loved finding peaceful moments amid the happy chaos to ponder the enormity of that Gift. Immanuel: God with us. God in flesh! And most astounding of all, Immanuel is still with us. We are His body in the earth. His spirit lives in my flesh! The realization takes my breath away.

At times, when my schedule was really busy, I experienced the occasional stab of guilt. I should be more focused on Jesus and less on celebrating with other people. But you know what I realized? Jesus lives in me. And I think He enjoys a good party as much as anyone else. He loves being surrounded by people He loves, enjoys their joyful laughter, laughs at their jokes, basks in their love for Him and for each other.

You are one of the people He loves, my friend. He enjoys your joy. Your happy laughter warms His heart. The sound of your voice singing songs of good cheer and celebration is like a heavenly chorus in His ear. As you went through the holiday season, He was right there with you, enjoying every minute of time He spent in your company. I’m sure He had a great time at your Christmas party!