A Christmas Like No Other

I Thess. 4:13-17 13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.fn
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

This is going to be a different Christmas from all others in my life. Last week, my Mom fell and received an excruciating pelvic fracture that only can heal through rest and time. I was with her when she fell and saw her go down. I ran to her but did not get there in time. Now her life, and indeed all of our lives, have been rearranged.

Mom always loved Christmas. When I was a little girl, she tried so hard to make it special for me and my two sisters. I will always treasure a special memory of the note she wrote me when she gave me my last baby doll. I was growing up, and she gently told me it would be my last one, though I was reluctant to leave childhood behind.

I was just starting to get into the spirit of things last week when I accompanied Mom and Dad on a trip to my sister's house, and it was on our way there she fell. At first I thought she was very fortunate, for she was able to walk when we helped her get to her feet, but it seemed that her pain only got worse and worse. It was not until we returned home that she got the XRay that confirmed she had a small fracture.

Now, Mom needs my help. It will mean travelling to her home and staying there and helping my Dad, at least until she begins to improve. The last two nights have been difficult when she wakes up in excruciating pain. Somehow, my zest to write Christmas cards and do more shopping has gone by the wayside.

But I have comfort, even in knowing that my parents are aging, and that one day they will leave us to carry on without them. Mom and Dad know the Lord, and I will see them when I get to heaven. Every morning, they have devotions together. They read from the Word and pray together. They didn't do that when we girls were little, but now it is their daily habit. They went from going to a ritualistic type of church to an evangelical one, and that didn't happen until we girls were grown and gone too. In fact, all of my family attends evangelical churches where the Word of God is taught. I am so thankful.

And so, I sit here and try to process what the near future holds for me. Mom's advice is "one day at a time," and I have to admit she's right. Jesus said to take no thought for tomorrow. My joy now is to see my own grandchildren and enjoy their delight in new life and adventures. The train of time stops for no one. One day, I will be in Mom's shoes, if the Lord tarries.

My comfort in all of this is in Christ, and that my family, whether awake in the Lord or asleep in death, will hear that trumpet call one day. Christ is the one thing that makes life worth living. Whatever hope do we have without Him. Current events, which seem to spiral downward in a vortex, faster and faster every day, make our lives uncertain, but Christ is our stronghold and our hope.

Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times,
And the strength of salvation;
The fear of the LORD is His treasure. Isaiah 33:6

A friend of mine who lost her mother recently encouraged all her friends to spend Thanksgiving in gratitude with our parents, if we still had them. I never realized how timely her words would be. One day, it will be too late to show my gratitude to my parents. The time to love and help them is now.

Proverbs 23:22
Listen to your father who begot you,
And do not despise your mother when she is old.

We're All in This Together

I Peter 1:24-5
For,
“ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS,
AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS.
THE GRASS WITHERS,
AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF,

BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.”
And this is the word which was preached to you."

I was so weary last night that I went to bed way early. I simply could not bring myself to do the things I needed to do, so I figured I'd just go to bed and the tasks would be easier in the morning. And this morning, God was faithful to refresh me as I read His Word in the book of I Peter.

All flesh is like grass. The thought hit me to look at others, and myself, in a different way. Human beings are fragile.
We may think we are strong but we have no idea what could happen tomorrow. Our lives are but a fragile breath,here one minute and gone the next. What if I looked at people with that reality?

What if I considered others in the Body of Christ the way God does in I Peter 2:9-10:

"But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY."

Every member of the Body is part of this special group of people. I need to see others in this way, and not according to my own thinking about them. Think of the great price that was paid by Christ to redeem them. Hold them in highest regard because they are "members in particular" (I Corinthians 12: 27).

Consider how high the purchase price was for Christ to redeem us:
I Peter 1: 18-20
"knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you..."

All the gold in the world could not have lifted even one of us out of the pit. Only the perfect Son of God could redeem us by laying His life down for us. That is how much He esteemed us. He saw us having value, even though we couldn't deserve it in a million years.

He was the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world. Anyone who believes in His Person shares in this same heavenly status as of being paid for with an inestimable price. Oh, how much He loved us to do that for us. I should see my brother and sister in Christ as having incalculable value. Actually, every person on this earth because of the great price paid to make salvation possible to any and all who want it.

And yet each human life is so fragile. My words can either tear down or build up that person. We never know when that person's time might be over. What if they left this earth after I had torn them down, said angry and harsh words?

Oh, for the eyes of faith to walk in this reality instead of "You know how they are!" Instead of attributing sins and failures to people to think of them as chosen, holy, a person of God's very possession. To walk with they eyes of faith. And to realize I don't have to love people because they, on their own, did something to merit my love. No, they are either part of the chosen family of God or are candidates to be in that family. God's love for them can fill me instead of paltry and miserable human love.

It is my wish to live in this reality. Thank you Lord, for revealing your great love for us and reminding us of the preciousness of Your holy gift. Truly something to be eternally grateful for in this season of Thanksgiving!