Here comes the Christmas season, and along with it come all the traditions.
Every year we decorate our tree with the tacky ornaments our kids have collected over the years. I make cinnamon candy for my students to eat during finals week. We go to the candlelight Christmas Eve service and then to my mom’s for chili.
Traditions bring memories from past years and create a sense of nostalgia. They give us something to anticipate and bring a feeling of comfort, giving us shared experiences we can count on, experiences that are intentional and meaningful and that only come once a year.
But what happens when someone who is usually a big part of those traditions is no longer here? When we lose someone we love, it leaves a huge hole in our holidays.
One thing I have learned is that even though a person is not here on this earth, it doesn’t mean they aren’t still with us in our hearts. My friend Rhonda, who lost her daughter Lacy ten years ago, recently reminded me, “My love for my child isn’t dependent on her being here.”
Love is not bound by space or time. It does not solely exist within the realms of this earth.
1 John 4:11-12 says, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us.”
Love is the essence of God’s nature, and He has given us the ability to share love with people in our lives. When we love others, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us. Wow.
Our love for others connects our souls with theirs, and they don’t have to be in our presence for us to feel and experience that love. We are not present with God’s physical body, but we experience Him through His love for us.
This Christmas, if someone you love is not here, keep them close through your love. Think about them, talk about them, remember them, do things in honor of them. Will the traditions look the same? Probably not. Maybe new traditions will evolve, as the season looks and feels different.
Will it be painful, as we yearn for our loved one’s physical presence? Definitely yes. But we know our loved ones would never want us to sulk in misery and sadness. They would want us to keep joy in our celebrations. We can show our love for them this Christmas season by acknowledging and celebrating God’s most amazing gift of love: the sending of His Son for us. And we can be thankful that we got to experience a deep love with a very special person, a love that we will never lose or forget.
I’ve got those emotional goose bumps popping up as I read this! Thanks for a great perspective on being intentional in choosing joy this holiday season. Keep being awesome!