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Women's Article

The Presence of God
by Tonya Ruiz

Who doesn’t love gifts? What could be more exciting to a two-year-old than mounds of packages, just waiting to be ripped open? Little Zachary was joyfully looking forward to Christmas so he could get his chubby little hands on them. He was not disappointed. Christmas Eve, we celebrated and exchanged gifts with my family, the next morning we opened presents at home, and then for the grand finale, we spent the afternoon with my husband’s relatives, tearing colorful paper off of even more toys. Sadly, the following day, we all attended my grandfather’s funeral. With my angelic toddler sitting safely by my side, I bowed my head as the pastor began to pray, “Lord, we thank you for your presence here today...” At which point, Zachary jumped to his feet, stood on the pew, his arms stretched out, and with a smile from ear to ear, he loudly proclaimed, “Presents, yippee! More presents!”

There’s lots of talk about JOY around the holidays. Unfortunately, shopping, cooking, cleaning and making this the “best Christmas ever,” we may forget about God’s presence. We’re probably not as confused as little Zachary was, but do we understand what it means to be in God’s presence? Do we know the miracle of fellowship with the true and living God? Through prayer, worship and meditating on God’s word, we can enter into His refreshing, joyful and restful presence. Want to add some JOY to your Christmas season, try spending some time with the Lord. Maybe, you’ll be as enthusiastic as Zachary was and with arms stretched out, and a smile from ear to ear, you might loudly proclaim, “Presence, Yippee! More presences!”

In Your presence is fullness of joy. Psalm 16:11

Tonya Ruiz Tonya and her husband reside in Southern California with their four children. She is an author, actress, and speaker.

Visit Tonya on the web at www.tonyasquest.com