If our goal is to become like Christ, little by little, every day by seeking to please Him, growing in the direction of righteousness because of obedience, seeking to understand Him, His instruction, His ways.

As I ponder what I want to become more of this year, I must take seriously the cultivating of my own soul, so that when others come to draw from me, they are drawing from Him, because I have invested time in Him, His word, His wisdom, His truth and His ways.

Even as we declutter our home, put it back in order after a busy holiday season, so I find that I must declutter my heart to go into my year free, with grace, hope and good plans. Proverbs tells us to "Guard our heart, for from it flows the springs of life."

What you choose to believe and cherish, practice and submit to, work at and believe, happens when no one else is looking. These are the glorious days your children will remember—the joy of the meantime, the moments cherished, the memories of this Christmas, feasting together, choosing joy. Life teaches us to cherish every day.

As I was on my walk today, I had you in my heart. In such a dark time, it is difficult to put aside our anxieties. Yet, I have learned slowly to move in the direction of trusting God more practically, learning to claim, feel how to breathe peace in those moments of such feelings.

Advent is not only about longing for Christ to come again and put everything back together; it's about repenting and receiving grace so that we get to be put back together now.

A culture separated from God's wisdom over the centuries must surely provide lures that will destroy and distract from Him, from what is eternal, from what is true. Yet, to throw away those things which are not necessary, I must constantly be straining my ear to His voice and not to the voice of those who would draw me to vanity or more strife of busyness.

Real influence comes all the moments of the ways we live our lives in front of our children. It is not just about passing on doctrine, but as much about relationship, love, beauty as it is the concepts we teach them.