When the hurricane went through this fall, I marveled at just how many leaves were stripped off the trees. It was as if a huge leaf drop had occurred ,except all the leaves were still green. Those leaves still had some life in them…but they had been stripped from their source of life.

Violent, stormy winds can do that. ..Strip a tree of leaves or in our lives strip us of all that has attached itself to us…unnecessary things pulling the life out of us…preventing us from living our best life in Him. Those things that distract us or steal our heart from Him, or lead us to bad habits maybe even addictions.

Sometimes storms are good. After the driving rain, thunder and violent wind the calm that settles in amid all the destruction allows us to see just how unnecessary some of that “stripped away” stuff actually is.

In my Paul David Tripp devotional “New Morning Mercies” Tripp says, “He rips you from what is dangerous to give you what is better.”

Oh how I LOVE that. The kindness and goodness of Abba God to remove from us all that would endanger us.

As we celebrate Christmas this year, let’s enjoy the decorations, the Nativities, the food, and all we associate with Christmas. At the same time, let’s be willing to allow Abba to strip anything in us away that might hinder our hearts from truly celebrating Yeshua the Messiah.