Today is our 37th wedding anniversary. Back in 1979, three days before Christmas we were married.
We have looked at each other more than once and laughed about what we did to our families and friends. Who gets married three days before Christmas?
No one in their right minds, that’s who!
But when you are young and in love you are rarely in your right mind, so there.
As I think back to that time I am amazed by this fact: No one in our family complained about how complicated we were making their lives. No one said we were messing up Christmas.
Both sets of parents were supportive. Our sisters (we each have one) were in the wedding. All in all it was a beautiful day.
I am so grateful for those people who were so good to us on that day and in the days leading up to our wedding. Friends and family sacrificed for our benefit. The pastor and staff of the church sacrificed for us. And no one complained.
Quite frankly, that is what family is supposed to do. That’s what church is supposed to do. Jesus said that the two most important commands in the Bible are to love God, and to love our neighbors. Why is it we find it so hard to do the second of those?
Oh, we say that we love. But the proof should be in how we treat them. Do we sacrifice for the benefit of our family and friends? Do we serve fellow church members?
It’s not easy to practice love. Truly loving someone means we do for them what is in their best interest, even when it is difficult and inconvenient. And there are those in our families and churches that make love even harder. Maybe you are one of those people. Maybe I am.
Still, we have been called to love. At this time of year, perhaps more than any other, we see evidence of God’s love for us. He became flesh and dwelt among us. And in Jesus we see His love most clearly.
Can I ask you to treat others as my family treated my wife and me back in 1979? Don’t be concerned with convenience. Find someone who needs love, and give it unconditionally. As you do so your life will most clearly reflect that of Jesus.