Christmas and obedience and thankfulness and heartache and redemption and reunions and praise

The call came in the middle of the morning, last June, from my sister.  She sounded worlds away and I instantly felt my stomach drop at her quavering voice on the other side of the line. 

 Dad’s had a heart attack. 

My summer was spent worrying, wavering between fear and faith.  I slept with my cell phone for days, spending my nights up receiving texts on Dad’s status and then replying via Skype.  I cried and I worried from afar, putting my Daddy into my Father’s hands again and again.  I waited for the day to begin on the other side of the world, so that I could get the latest doctor’s report and ride the rollercoaster of emotions as the news turned from good to bad to downright scary.

Finally, the word came that Dad was going to be okay.  God, in His infinite mercy, healed my Dad and has restored him to perfect health.  I was grateful beyond words, but never felt so far away from home and loved ones.

Being far away from family is never easy.  When it comes to difficult family times or holidays, the ache can be almost unbearable – but God does bring comfort in the midst of the ebb and flow of heartache and homesickness.  He performs miracles, in fact, and He makes plans for things we have no idea we’ll need.

Last year, long before Dad’s health issues began, a godly friend of the family made an amazing offer to share his airline miles with my parents so that they could come see us here in Indonesia, completely free of charge.  Through tears, he shared that God had told him to give up the miles he had been saving for years and give them to my parents. Humbled and awed, they accepted.  The tickets were barely finalized before Dad’s heart attack.

Next week, I am going to the airport to pick up my healthy Dad and my precious Mom to bring them to our home in Central Kalimantan for Christmas.  I haven’t seen them since I left America, a year and a half ago. Last summer, I despaired of ever seeing my Dad again.  I've missed my parents so much - even more so when I almost lost one of them - and the thought of getting to see them here has me feeling dumbstruck and giddy.  Their upcoming visit - the fact that they can come - is the best Christmas present ever.

This Christmas reunion has God’s fingerprints all over it.  Isn’t it just like our God to arrange for an extraordinary reunion before we even felt the need of it? 

This year, I celebrate Christmas with a deeper understanding of its meaning.  It’s all about a Reunion that we will one day share with our Heavenly Father.  It was arranged long before you or I knew we needed it and paid for out of a selfless act by His Son, Jesus Christ, born that fateful day over 2,000 years ago.  

Praise Him.