A Word For Christmas
My dad wasn't perfect, but he was definitely present. It's one of the things I most admire about him. My parents divorced when I was 1.5 years old, but my dad didn't ever let that keep him from being my dad.
My parents had lived in Tennessee most of their lives, but the divorce led my mom to take my brother and me to be near her family, which had moved to Texas. Being away from his kids was not an option for him, so my dad followed. Leaving his job and entire life behind, he became a carpenter, barely living above the poverty line. He mainly lived on the generosity of others while finding his footing because he cared more about being present than posh or polished.
Because my dad was present, I was given a front-row seat to watch him become a new man. He made a lot of mistakes; after all, divorce is never one-sided. But what I saw was someone not being defined by mistakes, rather someone being faith-filled for a God-led future.
My dad's trust in the Lord's ability to redeem, and his continual faith in God's present working, was the source of his joy and optimism. His perseverance, joy, serving, and ever-present optimism became a living and loving model for my brother and me.
My dad modeled a faith in God's plans by waking up early each morning to commune with the Lord. He modeled the importance of presence by showing up to every game, coaching, cheering, and supporting us in every way he knew how. He modeled humility by owning his mistakes and asking for forgiveness when needed. He modeled repentance by rooting out the things in his life that led to the breaking of a marriage. He modeled redemption by continuing to serve, give, and lead because he knew his status had not changed as a loved child of God.
But when it came to Christmas, the thing I remember most is how my dad modeled a confidence in both God's active place in our lives today and God's desire to do something new with our future. Each Christmas morning, my dad would wake up before us, grab his coffee and Bible to spend time with Jesus. When we woke up, he would then take time to read us the Christmas story. Then, one at a time, he would look at my brother and me and share a word of encouragement for the coming year he felt the Lord had given him.
Sometimes that word was simple, "New! Son, I believe God is going to do a new thing in your life this year. It’s going to be a season of new beginnings, new relationships, new job, new chances, but God is doing something new in you!" Sometimes it was challenging, "Hold fast. The year ahead is going to have difficulties, but hold fast to the truth that God loves you, I love you, and His grace is enough for you." It was a word given after much prayer, and full of faith. It was a little leap to say it, but He trusted it was from the Lord. The word was full of hope, even the challenging ones showed me God cared and would be with me through it all.
This Christmas, I encourage you to take time to pray over a "word" from the Lord for your life and your family. The truth is, the greatest gift you'll get this Christmas is that despite the chaos of life, despite the distance you've felt from Him, God is present and active in your life right now. He is with you. He is near. He is closer than you think. He desires to speak to you. He knows the forks in the road that are ahead of you in the coming year. He knows the plans He has for you. God is present. God wants to give you a word full of hope, full of faith, to show you He cares and is with you through it all.
Take your time. Ask the Lord to speak to you. Ask Him to give you a word for this coming year. This could be one word that keeps repeating, a phrase, or maybe even a scripture. But if you ask Him, He will speak. If you’re the head of your household, ask the Lord to give you a specific word for each member of your home. Use Christmas morning, not just to give presents, but to give the gift of presence by encouraging one another in the Lord. The promise scripture gives us is when we gather in His name, He is with us! See Matthew 18:20. After all, this is what Christmas is all about: celebrating that God is with us! Immanuel has come to us. Let this Christmas be about remembering that God is with you, He is for you, He is speaking to you, He loves you, and He desires to lead you.
I don’t remember every gift I got for Christmas (I do remember that really cool baseball bat, though), but I remember the feeling, emotion, and joy that came with sitting down for Christmas, reading the Christmas story, and hearing my dad speak life into me and my family. My dad was present and showed me God was present, and that was the best present of all.
My parents had lived in Tennessee most of their lives, but the divorce led my mom to take my brother and me to be near her family, which had moved to Texas. Being away from his kids was not an option for him, so my dad followed. Leaving his job and entire life behind, he became a carpenter, barely living above the poverty line. He mainly lived on the generosity of others while finding his footing because he cared more about being present than posh or polished.
Because my dad was present, I was given a front-row seat to watch him become a new man. He made a lot of mistakes; after all, divorce is never one-sided. But what I saw was someone not being defined by mistakes, rather someone being faith-filled for a God-led future.
My dad's trust in the Lord's ability to redeem, and his continual faith in God's present working, was the source of his joy and optimism. His perseverance, joy, serving, and ever-present optimism became a living and loving model for my brother and me.
My dad modeled a faith in God's plans by waking up early each morning to commune with the Lord. He modeled the importance of presence by showing up to every game, coaching, cheering, and supporting us in every way he knew how. He modeled humility by owning his mistakes and asking for forgiveness when needed. He modeled repentance by rooting out the things in his life that led to the breaking of a marriage. He modeled redemption by continuing to serve, give, and lead because he knew his status had not changed as a loved child of God.
But when it came to Christmas, the thing I remember most is how my dad modeled a confidence in both God's active place in our lives today and God's desire to do something new with our future. Each Christmas morning, my dad would wake up before us, grab his coffee and Bible to spend time with Jesus. When we woke up, he would then take time to read us the Christmas story. Then, one at a time, he would look at my brother and me and share a word of encouragement for the coming year he felt the Lord had given him.
Sometimes that word was simple, "New! Son, I believe God is going to do a new thing in your life this year. It’s going to be a season of new beginnings, new relationships, new job, new chances, but God is doing something new in you!" Sometimes it was challenging, "Hold fast. The year ahead is going to have difficulties, but hold fast to the truth that God loves you, I love you, and His grace is enough for you." It was a word given after much prayer, and full of faith. It was a little leap to say it, but He trusted it was from the Lord. The word was full of hope, even the challenging ones showed me God cared and would be with me through it all.
This Christmas, I encourage you to take time to pray over a "word" from the Lord for your life and your family. The truth is, the greatest gift you'll get this Christmas is that despite the chaos of life, despite the distance you've felt from Him, God is present and active in your life right now. He is with you. He is near. He is closer than you think. He desires to speak to you. He knows the forks in the road that are ahead of you in the coming year. He knows the plans He has for you. God is present. God wants to give you a word full of hope, full of faith, to show you He cares and is with you through it all.
Take your time. Ask the Lord to speak to you. Ask Him to give you a word for this coming year. This could be one word that keeps repeating, a phrase, or maybe even a scripture. But if you ask Him, He will speak. If you’re the head of your household, ask the Lord to give you a specific word for each member of your home. Use Christmas morning, not just to give presents, but to give the gift of presence by encouraging one another in the Lord. The promise scripture gives us is when we gather in His name, He is with us! See Matthew 18:20. After all, this is what Christmas is all about: celebrating that God is with us! Immanuel has come to us. Let this Christmas be about remembering that God is with you, He is for you, He is speaking to you, He loves you, and He desires to lead you.
I don’t remember every gift I got for Christmas (I do remember that really cool baseball bat, though), but I remember the feeling, emotion, and joy that came with sitting down for Christmas, reading the Christmas story, and hearing my dad speak life into me and my family. My dad was present and showed me God was present, and that was the best present of all.
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