When I was a kid, I loved to visit my grandma's house, whom I affectionately called Mema. Mema was the most wonderful person I have ever known. She smelled heavenly - I have a thing about good smelling people so this next part won't seem so weird if you know me - I would often shove my whole face into her arm and inhale deeply. I loved how my clothes smelled like her house after a visit and how she would spritz my sister's and my pillows with a little bit of her perfume because we loved it so.
Mema had the best laugh that would shake her whole body and her eyes would close up to mere slits as you would contagiously chuckle along with her. She had such a sweet church-lady humor and would often laugh at her own jokes which made her even more endearing.
Mema also beautifully loved people in such a natural way. She loved the grocery clerks, she loved the ladies in the fitting room at Dillard's, she loved the couples her and my grandpa would square dance with and she loved her family. I was always enamored at the way she and my Pepa interacted. It was like they has only been married for a few weeks instead of 60+ years. Loving people was her thing.
To sum it up, I just could not get enough of her. When I would visit her, I had to be with her at all times, soaking up every glorious minute of her being. I followed her downstairs while she would fold laundry. I would sit on the island while she would cook meals. I even followed her into the bathroom when she should have been enjoying a few private moments. And because she was a saint of a woman, Mema never seemed bothered by my stage five clinger status. When it would be time for our visit to be over, I would cry every single time I left. I never grew out of those tears either. The very last time I ever saw my Mema, we had a wonderful visit. I was pregnant with my second child and we dreamed about this new baby together. As I pushed the button to the elevator to go home, I cried all the way down to the ground level. Even as I write this, I am relying on my fingers to find the right letter keys because my vision is blurred from tears. I just loved her so much.
When she died, I felt like my heart shattered. Some pieces have found their way back together again, but I will always miss her. The Lord called her home in September of 2014 and so when Christmas rolled around a few months later, my hurt was still raw. But like beauty out of ashes, I was able to view Christmas in a new light as I looked at the holiday through my pain. And each year after that, the real meaning of Christmas continues to humble and excite me. This time of year always reminds me of the Hope that I have because some day, on the other side of Glory, I will get to see Mema and Pepa again. If Christ had not come as an infant all those years ago, our rescue plan would be obsolete. Death would define our ending. Sin would enslave us forever. But because of our merciful Savior, we have been saved from all that! We have Hope and his name is Jesus. I am so excited for that day when we get to worship the One who saved us, together.
During the month of December, I like to read Come Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp for my daily devotions. One morning after reading the passage for the day, I came across a verse in John that filled me with the same feelings I had when I would follow Mema all over her house. In this verse, Jesus is preparing his disciples for his crucifixion. They are concerned for their friend and teacher and Jesus is using these words to comfort them.
John 14: 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you also may be where I am.
I would imagine the disciples felt like I did when I was glued to my Mema. Jesus was an extraordinary person and his disciples followed him everywhere. The thought of Jesus leaving was disturbing to his friends. It was like when I would leave my Mema's house and I would be so sad. But knowing how His children felt, he told them to not let their hearts be troubled (John 14:1) because he was going to prepare a place and my favorite part of verse three is when Jesus says he has to go so he can prepare a place for us so, "that you also may be where I am." That verse makes me well up inside and feel all the feels because as much as I loved my Mema, I love my Jesus even more and I desperately want to be where He is. You better believe that if Jesus goes to do a load of laundry in heaven, I will be following Him into heaven's laundromat!
Advent means coming and while we take this time to celebrate His first coming as a baby, we have to remember that we are still waiting and preparing for the second advent when He will come in all his splendor and glory and take his rightful place at King. Every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! (Philippians 2:9-11) Amen!
This holiday season, I pray that you and your families are blessed with beautiful memories and moments of unexplained peace and joy that only our Savior can provide. I also hope you remember that the story doesn't end in the stable. It is just the beginning. The One who spoke everything into existence is the same One who was born in a manger, who is the same one who will right every wrong.
And He wants you to be where He is. Come Lord Jesus. Amen.