For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, or where we are—high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean—nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
I have been invited to come to Timothy’s kindergarten class to play the guitar and sing Christmas songs with the children. This ole kindergarten teacher can’t think of anything more joyful than to spend 30 minutes celebrating Christmas with 5-year-olds by singing familiar carols like “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Feliz Navidad”! Some of you are returning home from college for Christmas break. Others are busy preparing your homes for the arrival of family and friends to celebrate the season.
Christmas is a joyful time. But for some, it is also a sad time. Sickness doesn’t stop in December. Death doesn’t take a holiday. I have friends who are hospitalized and facing surgery…others who are recuperating and in rehab following a medical procedure…and some who are nursing the flu or a bad cold. I know others who are in mourning - including a cousin whose father-in-law was killed two days ago in a collision with a drunk driver. A lot of these people are having a hard time finding anything to celebrate right now.
I’ve been on at both ends of this “holiday spectrum”. And I am here to attest that the words of Romans 8:38-39 are 100% perfect and true. NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. The love with which He sent Jesus to earth as a tiny baby is the same love that He exhibited when He sacrificed His only Son on the cross for our sins. The love and joy He blesses us with in the singing of Christmas tunes with 5-year-olds is no stronger than the love and compassion He wraps around us when we are grieving or in need of His healing touch.
I am printing out this scripture and taping it over my desk so that I see it every day. I don’t know about you, but I need a constant reminder of just how much God loves me. The meaning and message of Christmas lie in these words from Paul to the Romans. They are words of hope, love, celebration, comfort, and peace…and we could all use a hefty dose of each these days. Wherever you are…whatever is happening to you this Christmas season…remember that God is with us. His love never fails. That is reason enough for me to celebrate…what about you?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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