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Probably every parent who tucked a child into bed has heard the plea, “Please don’t turn off the light.” Most parents find a way for at least a little light to illuminate their child’s room and chase away the fears. The German poet Johann von Schiller said: “. . . light is a noble gift […]
Many believe that happiness just happens to us, like the weather. But some have learned that they create their own “inner climate.” A woman who had endured serious problems in her marriage, her financial security, and her health explained: “I felt like an absolute failure. I had to make a conscious decision to be happy.”1 […]
Whether we sing, play instruments, or listen to what others create and perform, beautiful music offers each of us the opportunity to glorify God and draw closer to Him. Heavenly music inspires our hearts and turns our thoughts to God, drawing heaven nearer and making our earthly journeys less overwhelming. Sacred music is not only […]
Not many years ago, we looked to a new millennium as a distant, almost surreal event. It loomed like science fiction—like a horizon we couldn’t reach. While the world didn’t turn out to be as different as some had predicted, we were nevertheless caught off-guard, unsure of our lives. The passage of time, because it’s […]
Every time the sun sets, it rises in the morning and sheds new light on yesterday’s shadows. Whether a new century or a new day, life presents countless opportunities to begin anew. No matter our age or circumstance, today is a new day, and so is tomorrow. Think how wonderful that is! While yesterday—and all […]
As he arose a changed man on Christmas morning, a repentant Ebenezer Scrooge exclaimed, “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”1 Like Dickens’s fictional character, we each learn that life’s most important moments are only transitory if they don’t become part of our everyday lives. Life’s celebrations […]
Jesus was born in Bethlehem and grew up in a country that became for Him, as for us, symbolic of the marvels of His mission. He was born at night under a brilliant star. He would call Himself the Light of the World. He was born near flour mills in a little town known as […]
Christmas is a joyous season, when our thoughts often turn to children. Their eyes sparkle as they see the colorful lights, smiles fill their faces as they see toys stacked to the ceiling in stores, and their hearts beat rapidly as they climb onto Santa’s lap to tell him what they want for Christmas. Loving […]
One of the most beloved Christmas songs celebrates that sacred, silent night when Christ was born. Other carols and hymns likewise call our attention to the stillness and the hush attending that holy birth. The gifts that come wrapped in silence are among the most cherished we know. Through the Psalmist, the Almighty gives us […]
This is a wonderful season. Around the world people and families gather to reflect upon their blessings and to thank God for His watchful care. As the seasons change, somehow our gratitude turns deeper, our devotion brighter. We feel more than gratitude for a delicious feast; we feel a longing to share our bounty with […]
The Psalms are filled with verses of thanksgiving and praise. In a repeated celebration of God’s goodness and mercy, the Psalmist connects these vital expressions: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name.”1 Thanks and praise fulfill a similar purpose. In thanks, we […]
The word home can send a flood of emotions, feelings, and memories without another word being spoken. For some, single words, such as comfort, warmth, or safety spring to mind. Others recall the smell of Mother’s chocolate-chip cookies, the sound of Father’s shoes on the stairs, or giggles shared with siblings while playing under quilts […]
Who has not seen a little child holding out its arms and looking up to a parent—looking up for comfort, for security, for love? There’s safety in a parent’s embrace. There’s a feeling of well-being, where the world doesn’t seem as hurtful or frightening. It’s not long before that child is too big for laps, […]
Peace of mind is a treasure available to every person on earth, and is lost only when we allow it to be taken from us. There are many culprits that linger in the shadows of our existence, waiting to prey upon our peace. One of the worst of these is resentment. When someone does something […]
True friendship may be the highest expression of what it means to be human. Learning to rely on others and to care about them requires us to live outside ourselves and to suppress the selfish impulses that so often govern our lives. True friendship is a gift two people keep giving each other. Friendship expresses […]
What is this marvelous gift we call friendship? We say hello, we welcome or are welcomed, we chat, we become acquainted. Something draws us together. Most often, our closest friendships are harmonized in a symphony of shared tasks, goals, service. We struggle with problems together, we raise children in the same parks, backyards, family rooms, […]
One of the difficult things about life is deciding what’s worthwhile and what isn’t. Many of us have had the experience of pursuing something, only to be disappointed when we finally obtained the goal. Sometimes we’re surprised by the fact that what we thought was so important has brought us no joy or benefit. At […]
Faith is essential to life. Almost intuitively, we recognize a need for it. We seek it; we live by it. But sometimes we yearn for more. Even a child draws on reserves of faith when faced with questions that remain unanswered for a time. A four-year-old boy lost something that was most dear to him. […]
Many adults remember a familiar summons from childhood days—a wake-up call that urged us to “rise and shine!” Arising itself was often enough of a challenge for a sleepy boy or girl, but the possibility of “shining” seemed so unlikely as to be a bit of parental irony. When we understand the origin of the […]
A father recently dropped his young daughter off at school and watched as she hurried up the steps. Then, just before opening the door, she turned back and waved. It was one last way to connect—one last assurance that everything was all right. We see it as passengers board trains and airplanes, as we drive […]
Perhaps we’ll never fully understand why good music is such a source of comfort and peace. Most of us have experienced music working its magic in our lives. We’ve felt good music easing our worries and disappointments, lifting clouds of discouragement, and soothing our fears. A woman who was struggling with depression found that, if […]
Memories made in early childhood stay with us. They are fixed points of reference throughout our lives: how a beautiful flower smells, the softness of a kitten, the sound of a well-loved voice reading a story. This first, fresh view can color all our later experiences. A wise man wrote, “The web woven around [us] […]
Communicating with those we love can be one of our most difficult challenges. The words we use can make or break a relationship. A father, who was deeply troubled over the lifestyle his adult son had chosen, took advantage of every opportunity to preach him poignant little sermons punctuated with his condemnation. The son loved […]
One of the many ways that God shows His love for us is the guidance and inspiration He sends into our lives. As children of our Heavenly Father, we can rest assured that He will lovingly lead us if we are willing to listen and to learn. Divine guidance can come in many forms: prayers […]
As we stumble our way through a world full of shadows and confusion, we find ourselves wishing for firmer footing and clearer vision. So many of life’s challenges can seem as difficult to us as long division to a small child. Like a child, we wish we could sneak a glance in the teacher’s desk, […]
The prophet Isaiah gives us much hope with his description of a future when “the wolf . . . shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”1 For centuries, prophets and […]
Of all the wonders of the natural world, perhaps none intrigues us more than the stars. As children, we hear the nursery rhyme “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” known in many languages. A few years later we learn to make a wish on the first star seen of an evening. Around the world, on clear evenings, […]
All great achievements have one thing in common: They were doubted—sometimes even scoffed at—by others with less vision. Every great leader, inventor, and pioneer has chosen to ignore the skeptics who said it couldn’t be done. In many cases, these remarkable heroes endured years of persecution and loneliness in order to make life better for […]
A man flying home from a business trip was surprised when the woman in the seat next to him asked how he could possibly know there is a God. The man explained that he had often felt God’s presence in his life, guiding and directing him as well as comforting him in times of need. […]
The blessing of freedom is easily taken for granted—until it is lost. From a silent battlefield near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Abraham Lincoln spoke of the patriot’s dream of freedom begun two generations before. Then it was a “new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”1 But on the […]