One of my
favorite Christmas traditions is our Christmas tree. While I’m not a huge fan of hauling boxes out
of storage and setting it up, I do enjoy the beauty and the memories our tree
evokes. Most of the ornaments on our
tree are connected to places and people who hold a special place in our hearts. Year after year, those ornaments take us back
to fond memories of past.
This year,
though, our tree has a slightly different look to it. One might say it has a somewhat more
“creative” display than in years past. Where,
typically, we distribute the ornaments to produce a full and balanced display,
this year’s tree includes an eclectic grouping of ornaments concentrated in a
space of about 6 inches. It also happens
that this collection is right at 3-year-old eye level. You see, this year, for the very first time,
our grandson had his heart set on being part of decorating our tree, and, of
course, we welcomed his help.
One of my
favorite times to enjoy our tree is after everyone else has gone to bed, the TV
is off, and the evening is winding down.
It’s not really intentional, but I often find myself staring at the tree
and remembering times past. It’s a
selective process, of course, as I spend so much more time remembering the good
times than I do the hard times.
Sometimes, that remembering makes it difficult to feel very good about
Christmases ahead. This has been a very
difficult year for our nation and our world, as hatred, violence, natural
disaster, and threats like terrorism and nuclear holocaust have dominated our
news. But, then, I look at that spot on
our tree with all its assorted decorations.
Our
grandson’s part in decorating the tree reminds me that God still has more
ahead. The innocence and promise of his
young life bear witness to the fact that God continues to move and to work,
most often in ways that are outside the grasp of my limited understanding. While much of my Christmas focuses on
remembering – remembering God’s gift in that miracle birth, remembering my own
celebrations of that event over the years – I need never to let remembering keep me from anticipating God’s future work.
As I
remember the past, I can also “remember” the future – its promise and,
ultimately, its path. Though I can’t see
it nearly so well as I can remember selected parts of the past, the future is
every bit as real. I don’t know the
details, and I can’t control it nearly so much as I like to think I can, but
the future is just as much God’s as is the past. Hebrews 13:8 reminds us that, “Jesus Christ
is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
He doesn’t change, regardless of our circumstances. Even if some of those things that concern us
most actually come to pass, God’s love, power, and purpose remain unchanged.
Nearly 40
years ago, when my wife and I first started decorating our own tree, we
couldn’t possibly have imagined what the future would hold. And it’s probably just as well, because I’m
not sure my finite mind could have comprehended everything that’s transpired since
then. One constant throughout, though,
has been God’s faithful love and provision, in good times and in bad, that has
sustained and blessed us. In the same
way, I don’t have to know the details of the future to know God doesn’t change,
that his faithful love and provision will see me through everything that lies
ahead, good and bad.If ever I’m tempted to doubt that, all I have to do is look at our tree.
