Lisa Anderson | Director of Young Adults

This Christmas season, I know three people who went to meet Jesus: two on Christmas Eve, one on Christmas morning. One was expected, two weren’t. One was a former coworker, one a friend’s dad, and another a dear friend. Heaven was their gain (just think…to do Christmas with Christ himself!), but there is a deep sense of loss for those who remain. To think that they won’t live any days in 2023 is so weird to me. Their earthly race is done.

Knowing this provides me a great opportunity to think of how I might let the Lord write my days in the coming year. Not that He won’t do what He wants — He will — but wouldn’t it be great for me to joyfully and expectantly get on board today with what He might have in store? My 2023 isn’t guaranteed, and neither is yours. What is guaranteed for those of us who know Christ is the daily presence of a sovereign God, a compassionate Advocate and a faithful Friend. As we stare down 2023, may we all face it without fear of life, death, or any circumstance that threatens to shake us. God is before us, and He is with us.