Never Leave

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
-Joshua 1:5


The preparations and holiday jitters built for weeks, lights strung with care and snowmen decorations moved a centimeter to the left, and another two centimeters over to the right just a day later, finding that perfect spot in the living room. We covered gifts with jackets of wrapping paper, delicately folded at the corners. We wondered who would fall in love with what lay beneath.

Before we knew it, Christmas appeared for a few beautiful moments, and just like that, it was over. Done and gone for another year. All that remains are memories of the frozen feelings and the reflections from a stable. The weekend ends, lights peel off the tree and ornaments pack away tightly in tissue. The sparkle of the season recedes, and we’re left to continue on with frigid temperatures and no holiday to make it tolerable.

The magic is gone, an illusion that disappeared behind trap Christmas doors. We don’t know what to do, what to cling to now the world says to return whatever you aren’t invested in from gifts given by your great aunt.

There is good news. The season may have left you dragging evergreens to the ditch and undersized sweaters back to the racks, but God isn’t leaving. He won’t go anywhere and will not be cast aside like leftover casserole. “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” He promises, and He makes good on His bargain.

As we head into life after Christmas, let’s carry with us this assurance- Christ has come to comfort and will last long after fleeting holidays fade out.


Prayer:
Thank You for the meaning of Christmas, and for not letting me get caught up in things easily replaced or discarded. You are with me, and when everything else loses its shine, may You burn brightly in my heart. Amen.