After my husband became a Christian in 1970, we observed a different kind of Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, we dimmed the lights, lit candles, and listened to a Perry Como record as he sang Christmas carols and recited verses from the Bible detailing the birth of Jesus Christ. Then my husband led in prayer.
The years passed quickly, and our three children became young adults. During those years, my husband became a minister. In May 1981, he was called to his first full-time church. Christmas 1981 was celebrated with our family in the church-provided home.
Three months later, our family, as we had known it, changed forever when my husband and a young mother in the church ran away together. I had not known of their affair.
I now needed to support myself. For twenty-seven years, I had been a wife, mother, and homemaker but had never worked outside my home. At forty-five, I was interviewed for my first job and hired.
December 1982 arrived, and Christmas was approaching. I thought about the previous year when the family gathered in the church parsonage. What would this year’s Christmas gathering be like?
My single daughter and I made plans for the family to spend Christmas with us. We prepared a variety of foods, including turkey and all the trimmings, as well as ample sweet homemade goodies.
We read the Christmas story from Luke 2 and enjoyed being together. We had a different kind of Christmas, but one filled with joy, peace, and love. God’s presence filled my heart and home. The Lord met my needs bountifully.
You may be facing a different kind of Christmas this year. Perhaps your spouse has also left you, or maybe a loved one has died during the year. Your heart feels as though it is broken beyond repair. You may have a child who has wandered far from the Christian home in which they grew up. You or a loved one may be facing a challenging health problem, or you may have lost your source of income. The list goes on.
Whatever your need, the God who covered me with his love offers that same love to you. Accept His love.
Norma C. Mezoe strives to be a Barnabas in her writing and in her living. Norma has been a published writer for thirty years and has written for magazines, devotionals, and S.S. literature. She is active in her small church as clerk, teacher, and bulletin maker. Norma may be contacted at normacm@tds.net.