Paint Party Friday: The Light Shines in the Darkness!

From our home to yours...

A very blessed Christmas season!

May the light of the world illuminate

your home and your family!

"...the light shines in the darkness..." John 1:5

The day before Christmas, Luigi and I visited some friends and we got to talking about common challenges in our businesses. Sometimes dealing with the government agencies can bring you to some dark places! It can be easy to just give up, but the thing is, sometimes God does bring you to dark places because that is where growth occurs.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit." John 12:24

If we leave seeds in the packet, it will just be seeds. But if we plant it in soil, it will grow. God is our gardener and we are His garden, it says in 1 Corinthians 3:9. Our gifts, talents, dreams and goals are just like seeds. Sometimes, we can only see the growth and blooming after it is planted in a time of darkness, of frustration, and even failure. Our resourcefulness, ingenuity, creativity, comes forth in new life.

Yes, if we stay in faith, trusting God, refusing to get bitter or pessimistic, God can bring new life out of darkness. Just as He brought new life from Mary's dark womb on the first Christmas morning, and new life from Calvary's tomb.

So if we are seeing some darkness now, the message of Christmas is "the light shines in the darkness". It is not time to despair or feel defeated, but time to rejoice! New life is coming!

 Today is Saint Stephen's Feast Day!

He was the first martyr of the Church.

Many debated with Stephen,

and he was even dragged to face the Sanhedrin.

They all noticed he had the "face of an angel"

(Acts 6:15), as he defended the faith, fearlessly.

Jesus told his disciples in the 10th chapter of Matthew,

"When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak...

You will be given at that moment what you are to say."

This reminds me of the many times my mind has been blank,

and I did not know what to say, or what to write.

But in those times, God has always come to my aid!

Even if we are just ordinary people,

we can depend on God

to give us the words to say or write when we need it! 

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