Divorce shattered my family when I was eight years old. The first Christmas without my father being home to string up the lights was dark. We hung our stockings and left out sugar cookies as usual for Santa's late-night arrival. But on the night before Christmas all through my house, the only creature I longed to see stirring was my dad, not a mouse.
The next day we went to my uncle's home for Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. We arrived dressed up in our Sunday best, toting the toys we'd found under our tree. During dinner we heard a knock at the door, and in walked the skinniest Santa I'd ever seen. He said, "Sit on my lap and tell me what you want for Christmas." I thought, Santa can't give what I really want—my father's presence. As I climbed onto Santa's lap, his eyes twinkled as he pulled off his white beard. Underneath the disguise I discovered the loving face of my dad! My father's presence was the best present he's ever given me.
…God gave the world the gift of His presence -- in a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manager. God understood how empty and alone we were, so He visited our dark world, lighting our lives with His presence. He gave us the greatest possible gift -- Himself!
-- Lenya Heitzig and Penny Pierce Rose in Pathway to God's Treasure: Ephesians
#2219
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