If you commanded a drone to fly high above my college town, it wouldn’t look much different from other campuses. You could easily pick out all of the landmarks that make it famous. Across the street from an intimidating oval arena, you would see a perfectly manicured field marked off in ten-yard intervals. Nearby, you would find a white-striped diamond in the dirt nestled between high-rise parking and hot dogs. Around the corner and down a bit, you might notice another smaller, white-striped, fenced-in diamond that, in my eyes, shines brighter than all the rest.
Meandering back toward town, one couldn’t miss the stoic classroom buildings dotting cross-hatched streets. Finally, in the middle of town, there is that iconic intersection with papered oak trees and sweet lemonade. Our little campus might not appear unique or endearing from a bird’s eye view. It might even be in a town others try to avoid. However, my grandparents lived there for as long as I can remember. Sweet memories permanently lingering on every corner ALWAYS take me back in time.
Christmastime naturally causes us to miss those who helped make us who we are. I miss my mom’s hugs and how we would laugh until we cried about things no one else found funny. I miss her mom, who loved being with children because she relished all the fun and games. Her dad always modeled hard work and integrity.
It was my dad’s parents who lived in my picturesque college town. I called them Mema and Papa (pronounced Memaw and Pawpaw). Papa played hopscotch with me and taught me how to garden (mostly how to hoe). He loved to walk all over campus – so fast I could barely keep up. Yet, it was Mema’s name I took for my own when my grandchildren came along. I wanted to do all the sweet things I watched her do year after year. Family heritage can give us lots to live up to. Holidays remind us of that.
Though I miss my family heroes, I constantly remind myself that none of them are ever really gone. Pieces of each one of them live in me. I can smile because they are always with me wherever I go. The love they demonstrated lives on, and it continually sustains me. Best of all, I know they are all waiting for our grand reunion. So am I!
Isaiah prophesied 700 years before Jesus’ birth that He would be called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Jesus came to earth in the flesh to live among mankind. He experienced everything we would encounter so that we might learn how to respond with love.
Jesus taught us to play the game of life and relished His time with children. (Matthew 18:2-6) As a craftsman, He worked hard. I can’t imagine His work being anything less than excellent. (Colossians 3:17) Jesus walked ahead of us so we could follow in His steps. (1 Peter 2:21) He left us a lot to live up to. Yet, He did not leave us powerless.
The same promise Jesus made to the disciples is still in effect for us: “And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Savior, the Holy Spirit of Truth, who will be to you A FRIEND JUST LIKE ME—and he will never leave you. The world won’t receive him because they can’t see him or know him. But you know him intimately because he remains with you and will live inside you.” (John 14:16-17 TPT emphasis mine)
Even though Jesus no longer walks the earth, His presence is real. The Holy Spirit empowers us to remember that He is always with us.
I am constantly blessed knowing that I possess a part of Jesus. When we put on Christ, we take His name, and because of the love He has expressed to us, we try to pass that same love down the line. He still inspires us to become more than we are. We can smile because Jesus, our Immanuel, is with us wherever we go. The steadfast love He pours over us will continue to sustain us. Best of all, we love knowing Jesus is just as excited as we are about the glorious grand reunion waiting for us.
“And when everything is ready, I will come back and take you to myself so that you will be where I am.” (John 14:3 TPT)
