We All Have Stories (Advent) - Wednesday, December 13
We All Have Stories - Wednesday, December 13
"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven."
Ecclesiastes 3: 1 (NIV)
My wife and I were on our way home from our grandson’s first birthday party when we received the phone call. A friend of mine, an elder on the reservation where we serve, had just passed away one hour earlier. I had just visited him at his home four days earlier. It was a very good visit, and he had been very talkative, sharing with me stories of his life.
He told me how, as a young boy, his parents took him to a church in Mud Bay, where his family worshipped. His grandfather had passed away in that church while worshipping the Lord. He thought that this was a good way to pass on when you come to the end of your life’s journey.
My friend continued to share other stories of his past, and it seemed that he had an idea that he was coming to the end of his journey.
Perhaps you have had a similar experience. A visit with a close friend or family member, which ended up being the last time here on earth that you saw and talked with them. I realize this is only our earthly life, and it will end. Now, whenever I visit with an elder on the reservation, I pray that I will be able to remember the stories they have shared with me.
As we walk through this time we have here on earth, what kind of stories will we leave behind? I wonder what kind of stories my grandson will have of me to share? I can only hope that they will be stories that tell of my love for my family and faith in the Lord. I hope that he, too, will have good stories to share with his children.
During this time of year, we recall the greatest story of all and the greatest life ever lived. It is Jesus, our Savior, who came into our sin-darkened world to give us eternal life and forgiveness. It is through Him and in Him that our story has meaning. Let us honor Him with our thanks and praise this season of Advent. Let us honor him with the stories we leave behind.
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus, who came to live here on earth and die for our sins so that through faith in Him, we will inherit life everlasting.