"The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had
heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." (Luke 2:20, NIV2)
One year, when I was teaching a class of ten-year-olds, we were given a
challenge. Each class were given a Christmas song, and students had to make it
special for the Christmas concert. The class with the best performance would win
first place, which consisted of a free pizza party.
My kids were excited, and they immediately worked on it with fervent zeal. They
practiced and practiced. All I had to do was to encourage them and give them
tips on how to improve. They were so eager!
During dress rehearsal, they did so well that the principal told me I should go
on Broadway. Maybe she wanted to get rid of me? "Truly", I told her, "My
students did all the planning."
It was no wonder that they won the first Christmas concert, hands down. They
were so superb!
The second Christmas concert, though, even though they had performed better than
ever before (One of my guys finally smiled during the concert!), another class
beat them. Knowing kids, I expected the next day to be filled with sadness and
words like: "It is so unfair." I was surprised when I met them that morning, for
almost all of them expressed: "It makes sense another class won. They needed
encouragement as well!"
Wow! That sure made me think that way too often in my past, I have wallowed in
self-pity. And for what? I don't even remember now!
That day in class, hope rose in my heart. When kids care for each other, we can
truly expect a better future!
The shepherds in our story also came back filled with hope, so much so that they
couldn't help but praise the Lord. They, too, had encountered a child, no
ordinary child, a special child that would bring us a bright future, thanks to
that fact that Jesus would willingly die on a cross for us so that we could be
reunited with God. He rose on the third day, assuring us that our future was
guaranteed if we accepted His gift.
Kids can bring us hope, but the One born in Bethlehem outshone all of them. The
Savior came to our neighborhood to bring us hope.
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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