Season

My wife and I are celebrating our 3rd Christmas here in Alberta and it has come at a time when we are seeing a shift in priorities. What I mean by that is our children are now splitting their time with us and families of significant others. It used to be, when they were younger, we could count on a gathering in our home of our immediate family for a day or even a few days where we would eat lots, play games, share stories and re-connect with brothers, sisters, parents, cousins, uncles and aunts. So cool and sooooo much fun!

Now as they get older, these children of ours start to develop relationships with those who enter their lives. These children God gave us to care for and equip for life then try to figure if this person is who God has called them to spend the rest of their lives with. We hear things like “yeah she’s nice” or “dad I really like him so don’t scare him. I want him to come back.” We see these young people holding hands, spending lots of time together, laughing, crying, listening and talking. They are even eating our food and leaving the pantry bare! (My chips are always gone! Or maybe Monique is hiding them from me.) Then crazy things happen. “Like” turns into “like a lot” and then into “love”. An announcement comes and (glee, excitement, more celebration) they marry. And then again, perhaps they do not (and that is a topic for another day).

So those times of past days we held so precious are now split up. As parents, we knew this time would come, but that doesn’t make it easier to accept, (although there are times when Monique and I have said to ourselves, “when are they gonna leave!”)

God built us for relationships and that is why sometimes when we lose some of that time we had, we feel empty. Or if a relationship is strained, we long for re-connection. If distance keeps us from hugging a loved one, we just want to see and feel them again. Sometimes I think when we have tried to keep God at a distance because He doesn’t seem to fit our life right now; that makes us feel empty. So we search for something to fill that God sized opening.

Jesus died for us all. And because we are part of God’s family, together as Christians, we celebrate. We are all sisters and brothers in Christ and this season, no matter where we are, in Alberta, Ontario, New Zealand, Holland, wherever our bond, our connection point, our family is right where we are.

Wherever you are, know that we celebrate with you this season, this birthday of Christ, our saviour.

Merry Christmas everyone.