Looking Back Before Forging Ahead

Everywhere I turn, I see New Year’s resolutions.

Tweets, Facebook statuses, conversations with people at church or in the Slim-Fast aisle up to the local Wal-Mart.

Everyone is looking ahead.

These past two weeks, my husband and I looked back instead. Looking back, to me in my life now, is more important than forging ahead.

Perhaps it is because my sister-in-law is still battling stage four cancer.

Perhaps it is because this may have been the last time all three of my babies will be able to be together on Christmas Day.

Maybe it is because Todd and I celebrated 25 years of marriage this year and feel we are getting kinda old. :-)

For whatever reason, we looked back.

For our Christmas Eve tradition of having a unique family time centered around the Bible, I had a brainstorm this year.

Eleven years ago we sold our very first tiny little house (984 square feet-all three kids shared one bedroom) to a couple who bought it for their mom. She recently passed away and I knew the house was for sale.

I was able to arrange to take the kids on a “mystery trip” like we did when they were young. Blindfolded, we’d transport them to a secret location that would make the point of our little Bible lesson/devotion that week.

So, on Christmas Eve, when they got out of the car and opened their eyes, they were in the house we lived in when each of them was born.

Here is Kenna with her dad in 1994. They use to sit by the register and eat crackers and butter and watch thunderstorms. (Although this pic looks like peanut butter was on the docket that day)

And here they are the night of our Christmas Eve “looking back” family time, sitting in the same spot. (Excuse the blurriness of the cell phone snapshot)

Our time together was simple that night. While our kids had heard us talk in pieces about our testimonies (how and why we became followers of Christ) we had never told them the entire stories.

So we did.

Simple stories.

One about a “fatherless” girl who met the Father who would never leave or forsake her.

Another about a secretive son who came out into the light and embraced the Sun of Righteousness.

What is your story of when and how you met Jesus?

If you don’t have one, 2012 would be a great time to let Him write your story of redemption. Click here for more information.

Instead of making a whole bunch of new promises for the New Year, maybe it is time to tell the old, old story in a fresh new way to whomever God puts in our path.

Yes, even our own kids.

Always doing it with gentleness and respect.

Until the whole world hears….

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