Hello ICC Family!
How do you think about family at holiday times? Everybody’s answer is going to be a little different. It would depend on your age, your stage of life, how dysfunctional your family is, your health, and so on…
Living overseas for so long, we missed Thanksgiving with our families for most of 25 years. In one respect, that is sad - even heartbreaking, because we would have loved the time with our loved-ones - laughing and celebrating together. Watching the parade, watching football, falling asleep in random places around the house after eating way too much. I am sure there are a lot of good memories that we missed out on…
But on the other hand… because we were on the other side of the world we didn’t have to wrestle with where to spend each holiday and how to equitably split our time with each relative. We avoided the difficult conversations about job loss, delinquent children, and worse. I remember one Thanksgiving as a child when right as the turkey was being carved at the dinner table, my grandpa stood up and announced that he and grandma were getting divorced. That was awkward!
Last Thanksgiving was the last time that I saw my mom, so I have been looking back fondly at that time, but also sadly - wishing more than anything that I could be with her this year as well. This Thanksgiving is our first without either of our children with us. That has surprisingly hit us rather hard - even though we know they are doing well. Family is one of the most important things in life. Which is why being with family can bring so much joy, but also at times so much pain. Nobody can bless you as much as family can, and nobody can hurt you as much either. We need to remember that during the holiday season and reach out to each other and attempt to bless each other even more than normal!
“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
Proverbs 18:24
Some of us have family that we love more than anything. Others have known nothing but hurt from their family. For all of us, though, it should be encouraging and comforting that that there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Jesus was known as a “friend of sinners” (Luke 7:34), and He has promised, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Jesus is truly the Friend who sticks closer than a brother, and blessed are those who have Him as their Friend (John 15:14). This is another thing we can be thankful for this season, and I would challenge all of you - whether you think of family fondly or not… to remember the friend that sticks closer than any earthly family. He loves you and cares for you!
Blessings to all of you! I look forward to gathering Sunday to finish our quick trip through the book of Jonah as we worship together!
Pastor Aaron
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