Daily Advent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Monday, December 6
By Paula Morrison
Be Faithful Through the Hard Times; Good Times Will Return
Read Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Sometimes the things we learn the earliest stick with us the longest. We moved to Knoxville from Atlanta in June, 1962. That year, between bedtime Christmas Eve and crack of dawn Christmas Day, it snowed! Just 0.2 inches, but that was amazing to a 3-year-old who got to wear her snowsuit for the first time. It snowed a lot before Christmas in 1963, so I got my snowsuit out on Christmas Eve to be ready for post-present-opening sledding. Jump to 1964, Christmas Eve, after dark: Daddy passed my room as I was getting out my beloved snowsuit, and asked, “Paula, whatcha doin’?” “Getting my snowsuit!” “Paula, sweetie, it’s not going to snow tonight, it’s 72°!” I burst into tears, inconsolable. I eventually stopped crying because of Daddy’s loving understanding and assurances of more snow one day. And he was right!
Isn’t that what our Almighty Father does? We must strive to be faithful, because better times will return.
Prayer
Almighty Father, thank you for always sticking by us, through the good times, and the ones that aren’t so good. For the times I lapse in my faith, thank you for reminding me of how fortunate and blessed I am. I want to be grateful always, thanking you in prayer, and showing kindness to others. In your name we pray, Amen.
