This morning I reached for my new coffee cup and thought of my granny. Birds always make me think of her. She knew about all kinds of local birds and took pleasure in feeding them. She taught me how to call chickadees to let them know the feeder had been filled.This will be her first Christmas in heaven.
I've always thought of heaven as kind of a big camp fire - everyone gathered around, sharing stories. And as they share, they realize with complete clarity that Christ was with them every step of the way. Sometimes the stories will recount dark days of disappointment and sadness, but they won't be sad tales. They will be testimonies of Jesus' presence. Sometimes the stories will be interrupted with bursts of laughter because sometimes life is just crazy-hilarious. But these moments won't leave the Lord out of the spotlight because then, too, will it be obvious that even if it seemed like a "non-spiritural" kind of event, He was there. He was delighting in you and laughing with you.
This Christmas, I see Gramps, young and spry, grabbing Granny's arm saying "you've gotta see this." Maybe they know they spent their earthly life as partners, but compared to being in the presence of Christ, it's really neither here nor there.
And when it's her turn to tell a story, she's ready! Gramps laughs along, he remembers that time. And the Lord's eyes smile as He always smiles when the ones He loves finally can see the big picture.
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
My grandparents will have a wonderful Christmas with the Lord this year. Don't we who are waiting for home want the same? Oh, that we would have a glimpse of the glory of the One and Only and that, like Moses, our faces would shine for having seen Him.
He is not just a baby in the manger. He is everything.
Glory.
