MORAL OF THE STORY:

“God is holding onto you. He will not let you go! You are secure in His love. Nothing — absolutely nothing — can separate you from the love of God.”

“Centerpieces are so central and make such a difference,” the woman said. “The right one makes it easy to set everything around.”

I chuckled when I heard the woman’s comment in the market. Yes, centerpieces are indeed central. I thought of her words a few days later when I found myself singing a song called, “Jesus be the Center.”

I wasn’t simply singing words, but I was actually praying a prayer for Jesus to “be my source, be my light, be my song, be the fire in my heart, be the wind in my sails, be the reason that I live, be my vision, be my help, be my guide, Jesus.”

That short song captures a deep prayer of my heart. I sing songs and pray prayers thanking God for who He is, for how He has blessed me and asking Him to help me hold onto Him as the center of my life.

When I live that way, He is my security, no matter how stormy life may be. When I live that way, He is the center of my life, He is my centerpiece.

This time of year people are thinking about centerpieces for their Thanksgiving tables, and indeed, the right centerpiece can make such a difference. Centerpieces are the focal point and can set the tone and guide table settings and decorations. Thanksgiving centerpieces are often beautiful cornucopias or some sort of reminder of harvest and abundance.

I need Jesus to be the centerpiece in my life, because I need Him to be the focus from which to direct my days and anchor my heart. If Jesus is my source and the song in my soul, I can rejoice in His abundant love and harvest of blessings. When I set the table of my life around Him, it is a feast of thanksgiving indeed.

And you can quote me on that.

CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks frequently to parenting groups. She may be reached at [email protected] or 537 Newport Center Drive, Box 505, Newport Beach, CA 92660.