Dianna Buchwalter

  "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with grief; like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not." — Isaiah 53:3 “It doesn’t feel like Christmas, Mom,” my thirteen-year-old said recently. I suggested it might be because she’s getting older. When we’re children, there’s a magical quality to Christmastime. Excitement fills the air as we imagine twinkling lights, warm sugar cookies , and shiny gifts beneath the tree. But as we grow up, life becomes more complicated—sometimes in wonderful ways, and sometimes not. For those blessed with children of their own, the “magic” of Christmas can reappear as we experience it through their eyes. But children grow up, too, and eventually, we may find ourselves back in a place where Christmas doesn’t feel quite as joyful or “Christmassy” (if that’s even a word) as it once did. We all navigate different seasons of life. Perhaps you’re a young adult overwhelmed with little on...

I saw a woman engulfed by the roaring waves of the ocean. Her arms frantically moved as her head bobbed in and out of the water. She gasped for breath and wanted nothing more than to be on shore. People swam out to rescue her as others stood on the sand waiting for her to be pulled in. In the people’s effort to help, they too were being pulled down and couldn’t reach her. The woman felt hopeless as she cried out to God. “God, why won’t you save me?” A few moments later a white life ring floated beside her. She grabbed it with every ounce of strength as she pulled her body through the hole. She heard God say: “Be still and know I am God.” At first, she wondered how she could be still when she was in the middle of this vast sea until she realized she didn’t have many options. There were no boats or life guards. Just her and God.  She laid her head back as a calmness swept over her. The very same waves that crashed on and almost swallowed her were the same ones that propelled ...