God Is With You

I was afraid of the dark growing up. I mean, who wasn't? Honestly, I'm still afraid of the dark sometimes.

My kids are no different. There have been plenty of evenings where all seven of us will be hanging out in the living room and Auggie, my four-year-old, is doing the bathroom dance. We don't want any accidents so we will tell him, "Go to the bathroom!"  He will sheepishly walk to the edge of the living room, peek around the corner down the dark hallway, and freeze. Now, our house is not big. I would estimate the bathroom is twelve feet from the living room door. But twelve feet is much too dangerous for a four-year-old to walk alone in the dark.

In a frustrated gotta-go panic Auggie will say, "Daddy, you come with me?" I will have to go with him the whole twelve feet, switch on the bathroom light, wait for him to finish, then go with him back to the living room.

When Auggie is by himself, the dark hallway is an insurmountable undertaking, but when Dad is with him, he isn't even worried. That's the power of having someone with you.

Tomorrow we're turning to Matthew 1 and looking at an interesting name given to Jesus: Immanuel. Immanuel is Hebrew for "God with us." It describes how, in Christ, God came and dwelled with his people. The God of the universe is with you, and I want to help you see that when God is with you you can face whatever life tosses your way.