Alma 37:36-37

"Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.
Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."
Alma 37:36-37


Yeah, I know it is Christmas and everything, but this is still the scripture of the day. I was at my grandmother's house yesterday and she gave me a silver necklace with a cross on it for Christmas. It made me think about what we focus on when we think of Christ. I think that sometimes it is probably appropriate to think of Christ's suffering and death for us. It is a great gift, to take our sins and give us hope... and, with Christmas, it is probably appropriate to think of Christ as a newborn infant, taking on mortality and all that that means, again... for us. But the way that I like to think of Christ is as my friend, my confidant, my Saviour... not in any past and abstract sense, but as a present, current reality in my life. Today, living, alive... he helps me through my day, he watches out for the people that I care for, he listens to the pleadings of my heart, and is there for me when I need some comfort, or just some other consciousness to bounce ideas off of.
So, anyway... that is why this is the scripture of the day, instead of something about the shepherds or the wise men.  E. E. Cummings wrote this poem that starts out "I thank You God for most this amazing day" ... and at Christmas, and always... I think that's pretty appropriate.