5 Minutes with Jesus is a daily devotional series for people in the midst of real life, whether facing anxiety, grief, questions of purpose, or simply needing encouragement and connection. Hosted by Sheila Walsh, each five-minute episode offers Biblical truth, honest reflections on faith and emotions, and closes with a moment of prayer.
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| Sheila Walsh: Embrace God This Christmas | 5 Minutes with Jesus | December 1, 2025
- When we live with expectations, we have decided what we think
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- The outcome of a situation should be.
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- We've decided
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- What we think god should do, how he should answer our prayers.
- 00:00:06.729 --> 00:00:10.500
- And we live like that.
- 00:00:10.500 --> 00:00:11.835
- And those prayers
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- Are not answered in a way that makes sense to us.
- 00:00:12.836 --> 00:00:15.772
- There are tempted to believe the lie that god doesn't love us.
- 00:00:15.772 --> 00:00:18.842
- When you and i live like that,
- 00:00:18.842 --> 00:00:20.877
- We're going to face disappointment and heartache.
- 00:00:20.877 --> 00:00:23.746
- We forget that god is sovereign and he is good,
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- And he's in control.
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- But when we live with expectancy,
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- We live with our arms and our hearts wide open.
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- We're saying to god, i trust you.
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- I don't always understand everything you do,
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- But i trust you.
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- It was christmas eve
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- And we managed to get our
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- Excited three year old son,
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- Christian, to bed and finally to sleep.
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- I've made three mugs of hot cocoa and my husband barry,
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- My father in law, william
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- And i began to wrap gifts by the fire.
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- William had been living with us
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- Since my mother in law, eleanor had died,
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- And he and christian were the best of buddies.
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- He allowed christian to do things we would never allow.
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- It was a perfect arrangement.
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- We wrapped a train
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- Set, a lego pirate ship, and all sorts of boy presents.
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- But the gift that william was particularly excited
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- About was one of the most sought after toys that year.
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- It was a tickle me elmo that played the guitar.
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- We searched the town to no avail,
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- But william just wouldn't give up.
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- He discovered a certain store would be getting a few last
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- Minute units and on december the 23rd.
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- But as it was first come, first served,
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- We had to be in line by 7 a.m..
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- At that time, they were going to hand out numbered tickets
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- Before the store opened at eight,
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- But we were in line by 630 that morning
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- When the doors opened.
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- Run, william said,
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- You're faster than me so that we don't have to run.
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- We have a ticket.
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- Where?
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- Number six and they're getting 25 units and just run.
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- Run as fast as you can.
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- So i ran and we were able to purchase the 30 musician
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- And bring them home.
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- William stored elmo under his bed, wrapped a blanket
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- Obscured on all sides by suitcases and boxes.
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- Waiting for the big christmas morning reveal.
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- After everything else was placed under the tree
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- That evening, william brought elmo out to be wrapped.
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- He held him up with pride,
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- As if introducing a new family member.
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- Here he is, he announced. should we clap?
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- I wondered?
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- Do you want me to wrap him? i asked. nope.
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- We need to put batteries in at first.
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- There's nothing worse than a child
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- Getting a toy with no batteries.
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- And on christmas morning.
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- I think it comes with batteries.
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- I said.
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- The box said that you just squeeze his feet.
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- So, william, squeeze his feet, and the rest is a bit of a blur.
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- Elmo began playing the guitar and laughing so lightly
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- It was deafening for volume.
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- Panicked, convinced christian was going to wake up
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- And the surprise would be ruined.
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- So he ran out of the room with a furry offender
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- Stuffed under his sweater, returned
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- About five minutes later, a desolate look on his face.
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- What happened? i asked.
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- He's in there, william replied, pointing to the powder room.
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- Well, we stopped playing the guitar,
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- So that's good, i said.
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- See if you can help him, he whispered.
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- But first i couldn't even see elmo where he was because
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- The powder room is not very big.
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- But then
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- I spotted his red head sticking out of the toilet bowl.
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- It was no helping him.
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- Rest in peace, elmo.
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- William was so upset.
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- But the following morning, when christian opened his gifts
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- And saw the pirate ship, he was ecstatic.
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- This is the best gift ever, he cried.
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- Something so lovely about the joy
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- That children experienced at christmas time.
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- They love to count down the days, make their christmas lists
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- And eat their bodyweight in christmas cookies.
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- It's hard to keep that innocence a joy as we get older,
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- When we've lived more life
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- Or acquainted with heartache and disappointment.
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- We worry about paying our bills,
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- The health of our loved ones, of what's going on in our world.
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- Everything seems to be changing so fast
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- That we struggle not to worry.
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- But one thing hasn't changed.
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- Let me remind you of this truth god hasn't changed.
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- His love for you, hasn't changed his ability
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- To give you the grace to face anything hasn't changed
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- His offer of peace hasn't changed.
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- His greatest gift of all, eternal life, hasn't changed.
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- Do you think it'd be wonderful if this christmas we moved
- 00:04:30.026 --> 00:04:32.495
- From living with expectations to living with expectancy?
- 00:04:32.495 --> 00:04:37.433
- There are different when we live with expectations.
- 00:04:37.433 --> 00:04:40.203
- We have decided what we think the outcome of a situation
- 00:04:40.203 --> 00:04:43.206
- Should be.
- 00:04:43.206 --> 00:04:44.140
- We've decided
- 00:04:44.140 --> 00:04:45.408
- What we think god should do, how he should answer our prayers.
- 00:04:45.408 --> 00:04:49.145
- When we live like that,
- 00:04:49.145 --> 00:04:50.546
- And those prayers
- 00:04:50.546 --> 00:04:51.547
- Are not answered in a way that makes sense to us,
- 00:04:51.547 --> 00:04:54.350
- There are tempted to believe the lie that god doesn't love us.
- 00:04:54.350 --> 00:04:57.487
- When you and i live like that,
- 00:04:57.487 --> 00:04:59.555
- We're going to face disappointment and heartache.
- 00:04:59.555 --> 00:05:02.425
- We forget that god is sovereign and he is good
- 00:05:02.425 --> 00:05:05.762
- And he's in control.
- 00:05:05.762 --> 00:05:07.296
- But for we live with expectancy.
- 00:05:07.296 --> 00:05:10.600
- We live with our arms and our hearts wide open.
- 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:13.603
- We're saying to god, i trust you.
- 00:05:13.603 --> 00:05:16.606
- I don't always understand everything you do.
- 00:05:16.606 --> 00:05:19.542
- I trust you.
- 00:05:19.842 --> 00:05:21.744
- Be such a wonderful gift to give to god our father this year.
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- Would you run to him?
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- Would you run to receive the greatest gift of all?
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- He is here.
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- That's what it means to live by faith.
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- That's what it means to worship.
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- Expectations can leave us feeling empty this christmas.
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- But living with expectancy or not.
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- Whether you're surrounded by family and friends this season,
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- Or facing the first christmas without a loved one,
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- I invite you to pray this prayer with the psalmist david.
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- Listen to my voice in the morning, lord.
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- Each morning i bring my request to you
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- And wait expectantly.
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- Let me pray.
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- Lord jesus, i want to thank you that you are the greatest gift
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- That has ever been given.
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- Your birth split human history and two.
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- And because of that, we are never alone.
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- I pray this christmas, lord, you would be especially close
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- And help us remember who you are,
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- And that we would rest in your peace.
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- In jesus name,
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- Amen.
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