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Merry Christmas
Dear God: I’m sitting at home on Sunday morning, looking at my Christmas tree. My kids are playing with their new advent calendar toys. My husband is in the kitchen, quietly and intently obliging my children’s request for breakfast: “something random.” Everyone is eagerly awaiting what Daddy dreams up; I gave him some easy ideas but I think he’s really going for it today; He’s got multiple cereals out, a pan, and pancake mix. My collarbone really hurts, but my concussion seems better today; I’m not so dizzy. I’m listening to my favorite legal commentators on YouTube, and my kids are even being pretty quiet. They show no signs of…
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Christmas Letters to God part III
Dear God, This Christmas still looks different than I thought it would, Lord, and I’m bringing that to You. I lay it at your feet. There isn’t quick healing here. Just soreness that lingers, memories that surface without warning, and a heart still learning how to rest and forgive myself. I’m not asking You to fix this right now. I just need You here. As my daughter says when she needs a cuddle: “just be with me!” I know You didn’t come into a perfect world. You came into a broken one. Into uncertainty. Into vulnerability. Into the middle of things. Not a magical setting, like the Christmas I imagined. You…
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Diva Christmas 2025 is Still NOT WHAT I EXPECTED
God- Why, God? Why? This wasn’t the devotional I wanted to write next, you know. I was supposed to be on an upward incline and write about how Christmas is messy AND magical. Wasn’t I? It’s Christmas and we’ve already been through so much this year. Not even just this year, but the last three months have felt like hell. I’ve leaned on you immensely. I’ve literally been brought to my knees. Broken bones, multiple broken pipes, emotionally broken children…everything breaks on deployment they say, and Murphy’s Law sure didn’t take long with us. So why, God, why give us more? A car crash?! A SERIOUS car crash. A totaled…
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Diva Christmas 2025
Dear God: I can’t believe I’m complaining about another Murphy’s Law occurrence during this season of underways where my husband is in and out on the boat! After the government shutdown, my cat breaking her leg, a plumbing issue and all of us being sick — I really thought we could have a peaceful Christmas. No. Another plumbing issue! Our advent is hijacked. We are on day 3 of no water. 😬 I’ll be honest, God, I’m a little annoyed. Why does everything in our yet-to-be-updated kids bathroom have to be breaking right. now. And why is it always something annoyingly expensive? Can I get some credit for this and…
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When Christmas Joy is a Little Janky
Or: Diva Christmas and the Very Wobbly Christmas Tree 1. Luke 2:10 “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.’” 2. Matthew 2:10 “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” The holidays are supposed to be a season of warmth, laughter, and joy. But what happens when everything feels…hard? And cold? When life isn’t picturesque and the world weighs heavy on your heart, the idea of joy can feel impossible. Family stuff, health challenges, finances, or loneliness (shout out to those with a deployed loved one!!) can shake up our holiday joy.…
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A Love Letter to Christmas
Merry Christmas Divas! Man, I prayed all fall and December for words or meaning or a theme from God to share with you all here on Devotional Diva. I always do something special on Devotional Diva for Christmas, because it’s my favorite holiday, of course. But nothing came. No guidance, no whispers, no inspiration, no creativity. Not until today, in my shower of all places. And now I’m proud to say I wrote this special little diddy just in the NICK of time. (No pun intended Saint Nick.) When I was a kid, we always spent Christmas Eve at my grandmother‘s house. It was magical. My grandmother was and is…
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Merry Christmas 2022
Editor’s Note: Merry Christmas, Divas! I’ve been saving a devotional as a surprise for this Christmas. I hope your Christmas is full of love. -Maggie Three Special Gifts: A Christmas Devotional by Manndi Maphies Wilkins. Follow her on Facebook here or Instagram at @Manndi8867 When the ornate Magi we read about in Luke Chapter 2, presented the Christ child with three rare gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh, what was the symbolization of each? Did they expect a more royal and noble birth when choosing these expensively thoughtful presents? Were they surprised when they witnessed a baby, in a bundle of hay, lying in an animal’s feeding trough…in a barn? The…
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Old Saint Nick Loves Jesus: Short and Sweet Christmas Devotionals
Old Saint Nick Loves Jesus Ready or not, the holiday season is upon us once again. Costco is in full swing mode, every aisle filled with all you need for “the most wonderful time of the year." Yes, I am writing this the day after Halloween, but who’s paying attention to that? Although it is the most wonderful time of the year and I absolutely LOVE Christmas, there once was a time I dreaded it. A few years back, while standing in the checkout line at a local grocery store, a kind woman asked my three-year-old sons, “What is Santa bringing you this year?” They simply stared at her, dumbfounded…
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Faith that Grows at Christmas: Short and Sweet Christmas Devotionals
There was a lady in my Sunday school class years ago whose ex-husband was in jail and she was severely struggling financially to provide for her two sons. I saw Melinda wrestle with her faith to trust God to take care of them.
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Cotton Mill Christmas: Short and Sweet Christmas Devotionals
There was always a Christmas program at the cotton mill school. Children memorized parts of the Christmas story from Luke, stood in a row, and recited it, verse by verse. They learned carols, and some sang solos. The school presented its program during the week of Christmas during school hours. If parents weren’t working the first shift, they attended, sat in uncomfortable straight back chairs, and beamed at their children’s performance.
