"When they (Magi from the East) saw the star, they were overjoyed." (Matt 2:10,
NIV2)
When my oldest son left for university, we had to adjust our lifestyle; but we
still had one son at home. Besides, my oldest was attending a university only
two hours away. We got to see him regularly to our utter delight.
However when my youngest son left home to attend seminary on the other side of
our huge country, we felt the emptiness much more sharply. We became
empty-nesters overnight, and it was truly brutal. Still, he promised to come
back for Christmas.
I missed my son so much that one night I dreamed he came home. I was so excited.
I ran and hugged him with tears in my eyes, only to see him evaporate into
nothingness. I woke up with a jolt. What a nightmare!
Still I knew Christmas was upcoming, and with this, I knew beyond a doubt that
my youngest son would be coming home.
The day he arrived, he hugged me for several minutes, and this time he didn't
evaporate! My son was finally home! My wife and I were in heaven! Our hopes were
realized.
Now that Christmas is over, this hope we talked about will not evaporate, unless
we prefer to focus on other things beside the Hope of the world. Jesus came to
earth to bring us hope and salvation. One day He promised He would be back, to
bring us home. "I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be
where I am." (John 14:3b, NIV) We can sure look forward to this! Our Savior and
Best Friend will come back for us. That day, our hope will be fulfilled. We can
look forward to what awaits us: "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There
will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things
has passed away." (Revelation 21:4, NIV)
Aren't you excited about this?
May we live with that hope in our hearts, for with such hope we can face
anything!
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.