"Light one candle for hope, one bright candle for hope, He brings hope to ev’ry heart, He comes! He comes!"

Every year, growing up, when we would sing this song, I knew it was time! Time for the anticipation of Christmas!

Really, my mind was on the anticipation of Christmas morning full of lots of presents, food, and family! But as I got older, I began to understand that the month of December was more than gifts, food, and fun...it was about thankfulness. Now, my Christmas season begins on September 1!! No, I don't put up a tree and decorations, but I do begin to be purposeful in concentrating on thankfulness.

When I lived in Texas, September 1st began a time to be thankful that the heat would subside soon. It was a time to be thankful for the past year, for health, for family and friends, and for all of the things that God had given me.

It began in September, slowly slid into Thanksgiving, then did a fantastically fast jog to January 1st!

But as I've jaunted down the road of life a bit further, I have had the opportunity to see that some years..

...it was still scorching hot in December.

...we did not have money or resources.

...we were not healthy

...we lost family

It was during those times that I began to realize that the things I'm most thankful for and most need to celebrate are things that can never be taken away from me.

And my mind goes back to that song we sang in church each of the four Sundays before Christmas...

Light one candle for hope....

Light one candle for peace...

Light one candle for joy...

Light one candle for love...

These things can never, ever be taken away from me.

My Savior, Jesus, offers me year-round hope, peace, joy, and love regardless of what is going on in my life.

If my comfort is taken away from me...I am blessed with the hope of Jesus.

If my health is taken away from me...I am blessed with peace in Jesus.

If my money and resources are taken away from me...I am blessed with joy through Jesus.

And if my family is taken away from me...I am blessed with love from Jesus.

So today begins a week concentrating on being thankful for the blessing and gift of HOPE!!

The Oxford Dictionary defines hope as a feeling of expectation for a certain thing to happen. A feeling of trust. 

This expectation and trust come not from the confidence of seeing or from proof. No, instead they come from an assurance that is not tangible. Sometimes it isn’t even sensible.

But hope, by definition, must come from a place of need…of being without. Hope comes from a place of absence.

So, wherever you are in your life today...whether it is from a place of absence, or a place of plenty...be thankful for hope!!!

Activity

-Read Romans 8:18-25

-Write the word HOPE on a piece of paper. Now taking crayons, colored pencils, markers, or whatever you have outline the word with a different color over and over until you fill up the piece of paper.

-Put your HOPE paper somewhere that you will see it this week and be reminded of the blessing we have of HOPE in Jesus!!!!!!!!!!!!

***I'm no artist, but here is what mine looks like!!***