We, here, at Love Lines from God, wish all our supporters a very Merry Christmas.
Ah, the good old days when no
Christmas separation existed.
I remember them well. My
parents planned our Christmas Day celebrations, and I didn’t complain. For
lunch, we headed to my paternal grandparents’ home. The five of us gathered
with my dad’s sister, my uncle, and their two kids. When we all walked into the
house, we discovered a mountain of presents around an artificial tree nestled
in the corner of a large living room. Our eyes bulged as we eagerly awaited the
opening ceremony.
But not yet. First, we had to
eat lunch. My grandfather’s tradition was ham, and he knew how to cook it just
right. My grandmother cooked the sides. When all was done, the adults gathered
around the dining room table, and we siblings and cousins sat at the kitchen
table. Of course, I didn’t mind. The old home only had gas space heaters, and
one sat beside the kitchen chair I always sat in.
We gobbled our food, knowing
what was next. As we circled in the living room, my oldest cousin played Santa
and handed out the gifts. After a couple of hours of opening and playing with
our toys, we headed thirty minutes down the road to my maternal grandparents’
old country home.
Mom’s sister, my uncle, and my cousins
lived just next door. They walked the short distance to my grandparents’ house,
and we ate again. The present pile here was much smaller, but the love was just
as great.
Fast forward twenty years. My
family, my brothers, their wives, and all our children were gathered at Mom and
Dad’s house. Our grandparents had died long ago. Now, Mom carried on the
tradition. The food was homecooked, the presents were piled high, and the
fellowship was precious.
Fast forward another thirty
years. Now, we’re all separated—by miles, divorces, remarriages, grandchildren,
and deaths. So we will celebrate this Christmas in segments: with one brother
and some of his family, then another brother and his family, and finally, our
children and grandchildren. The entire process will spread over two weeks, not
one day.
Such is the life most families
live at Christmas. But despite the changes and the separations, one thing never
changes: God’s love. Paul reminds us that nothing—death, divorce, remarriage,
sickness, disease, financial challenges, a sour economy—can separate us from
God’s love.
Regardless of the Christmas
separations we experience, we can still celebrate the birth, life, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord. And we can relish in His forgiveness,
the abundant life He gives us presently, and the eternal home He promises us.
Nothing can separate us from Him in the present or the future.
Among Christmas’ separation,
celebrate the togetherness you can have with Christ and others.
Prayer: Father, we thank you
that nothing can separate us from your love.
Tweetable: How do you handle the Christmas separations?
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