Encouragement

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Ten-year-old Sarah pressed her pug nose against the cold living room window and sighed, steaming up the glass with her breath. She could barely see the snowflakes, illuminated by the moon’s light, fall gently upon the already snow-covered ground.

She wondered, "When will he come? What is keeping him?"

Sarah knew her daddy would somehow make it through the blizzard forecast for the night, and his visit would make it the best Christmas ever. She counted on him being there since it had been three years when they last saw each other.

Sarah turned around. She looked at her ailing five-year-old brother, Jonathan, who lay wrapped in a blanket on the couch near the crackling fireplace. Mom, sitting nearby, dabbed his feverish forehead with a damp cloth.

"Daddy has to make it," Sarah whispered to herself. "He promised he would be here. It may be Jonathan’s last Christmas on earth." If he didn’t come, she didn’t know how she would ever forgive him. She barely forgave him for leaving them in the first place.

A car, crunching its way into the driveway, interrupted Sarah's thoughts.

Is it him? Is it Daddy?

Sarah whipped back around and vigorously wiped the remnants of her breath off the window. She peered outside and saw a man open the driver’s side door and get out.

“It’s Daddy. Daddy is here!”

As soon as her father walked inside, Sarah jumped into his arms, and she felt the painful years of his absence melt away by the warmth of his embrace. Her father responded in love, “Daddy is here now. All will be well.”

Christmas should be a joyful time of celebration for everyone. However, for some, it can be a depressing ordeal to endure. If you are facing an insurmountable situation or struggling with hardship this time of year, may you find solace in the warmth of God’s embrace. As He cradles you in His arms, may you hear Him whisper in your ear: “Daddy is here now. All will be well.”

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