"Did you make a difference this year?"

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It was a beautiful fall day on our farm so I got out the ladders and started cleaning leaves out of the gutters on our home. Then I took the lawn mower with the grass catcher and began collecting leaves. I really enjoyed that sense of satisfaction knowing that the gutters and yard were clean from leaves.

But when I got out of bed two days later and looked out the window as the sun rose, guess what I saw? Yep, the yard was covered with leaves again. And when I looked out my office window later in the day and looked down on the gutters, one of them was full of leaves again.

And I wondered, "Why did I do all of that work?" But then I thought, "It did make a difference. There are fewer leaves clogging the gutters." And soon after, the rest of the leaves fell and I got them up and that season was over.

Next Tuesday, we begin the new year of 2008. The season of 2007 is just about over. Tell yourself today that what you did this year did make a difference. And listen to life for God’s voice in the upcoming season of the new year so you can make a difference again.

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"Who are you?"

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Nearly all of the trees on our farm had dropped their leaves by last month except for one maple tree. This one maple tree held on to its leaves like a kid hanging on to his blanket when mom says it has to be washed. And finally it started letting go of its leaves.

The woods were a dark grayish, brown color. The rest of the trees looked like sticks. But this last maple tree put on a show of color like few I’ve ever seen. It’s green leaves turned yellow, then orange, then red against the dark backdrop of the woods. It was absolutely a marvel to watch daily.

Now I know a botanist would tell me that the maple tree’s combination of rainfall and nutrients and sunlight determined its leaf dropping. But it seemed like that tree has a uniqueness about it that perseveres in the face of Mother Nature.

Be like this maple tree. Don’t blindly follow the crowd. Be unique. Out of 6.5 billion people here, there’s only one you. Be the best you possible, with all of your brilliant, God-given colors. That’s the way to make a life, not just a living in the new year of 2008!

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"Do you have any gifts to exchange?"

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Three sons were discussing their Christmas gifts for their mother. The first said, "I built a big house for our mother." The second son said, "I sent her a luxury automobile with a driver." The third son said, "You remember how our mother enjoys reading the Good Book and now she can’t see very well. I sent her a remarkable parrot that recites every chapter and verse. It took the elders twelve years to teach him. Mama just has to name the chapter and verse and the parrot recites it."

When the mother wrote her thank you notes, she wrote to the first son, "The house you built is too big. I live in one room, but have to clean them all." To the second son she wrote, "I’m too old to travel and the driver is rude." To the third son she wrote, "Thank you so much! The chicken was delicious!"

So do you have any gifts to exchange? Whatever you exchange, make sure you keep at least one gift—God with us.

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"Are you ready for the big night tonight?"

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Do you remember when you were a child how excited you got getting ready for Santa Claus? You made your wish list of toys and treasures and impatiently waited until the night that lasts longer than any other night—Christmas Eve.

Our daughter, when she was a preschooler, anticipated the longest night of the year and dictated her Christmas wish list to her mother. When she knelt by her bed to pray with me, she said, "Daddy, I want to pray to Santa Claus." Surprised by her remark, I said, "Why?" And she said, "Because you won’t let me ask God for toys so I want to ask Santa Claus."

As you prepare for the longest night of the year and the visit of a jolly ole elf, remember to say your prayers and ask God to visit you, too. For it’s God who brings the greatest gifts of all. Listen to life tonight for what God has to say.

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