About a week ago our eldest daughter, Tarrin, said this Christmas was going to be different because it’s probably our last Christmas together as a family (at least for a while). I started thinking about it and started to get sad. All those thoughts of trimming the tree together, sitting around watching Christmas movies together, chatting at the kitchen table, laughing at the way we all play Wii sports. As my heart got sadder I began lifting those emotions up to God, asking Him to help me deal with the separation that was to come and to put into perspective what was happening at the moment.
“Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” (Nehemiah 2:2 NIV)
Ok, so my city wasn’t laying in ruins but I was feeling this “sadness of heart”. Then God started bringing encouraging words into my life. One instance was at church on Saturday night, the pastor asked us to fill in the blank “My first priority this Christmas is____________?” He said over half of those who say they are Christian would fill it in with ‘getting together with family’. I was instantly convicted because that’s how I was reacting to this sadness, I was putting family above God this Christmas.
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen… (Luke 2:20 NIV)
I needed to be reminded to glorify and praise God for all the things I have heard and seen and remember that Christmas isn’t about spending time with my family (not that it’s a bad thing), but about God and His precious gift of His son.
In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:12-13 NLT)
I have hope that God is and will be with me through this separation and He will be with my kids as well, neither of us are “excluded from citizenship” anymore because of the “blood of Christ.”
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone… (Mark 12:10 ESV)
He is the cornerstone of my life and I know God loves me and He loves my kids and I trust Him!
UPDATE-I wrote this before Christmas but am posting it after Christmas. I still have times when I feel sad but God has lifted much of it off me and I look forward to each and every day I have serving Him!