How far are you willing to go?

Todd’s thoughts as he hits the road …

Christmas Day travels. Most people just like to hang around the house on Christmas Day. They have already done their travels. They left early to get to grandmas. And they won’t be going home until afterwards, like Boxing Day or early in January.

But being the life of a minister often means early departures are not possible. Weekend travels are out. Normally, there’s a Christmas Eve service, and you don’t get a lot of days off because you’ve got to be back to get ready for the next weekend (or cleaning from the Christmas Eve service). So Christmas Day is often the day that I travel. When I was in Louisiana, I would head to Dallas on early Christmas morning. Calvin and Lisa had normally gone ahead of me so they were there with her parents and family.

One of the more memorable Christmas mornings for me was a few years ago. Lisa and Calvin were in Dallas, so I woke up early in the morning and headed toward the mountains to do a Christmas Day hike. It was a beautiful clear day, and I got to see the sunrise from Skyline Drive. It was a beautiful day reflecting on the gift of God‘s love.

There were other travelers on Christmas Day. The wise men. We don’t know exactly when they arrived or if they saw Him on His birthday. But they ventured far to see the Christ child. The shepherds. They didn’t have to travel far, but they did travel on foot as they ran into town prompted by the angelic entourage.

What’s the point of this rambling? Today I am traveling by plane and automobile as I head to Dallas to get my wife. I’m going to be reunited with my wife, and bring her back to Virginia as we serve together in our little corner of the world.

We go a long way for the ones that we love. For many in our lives, or maybe just a few, we would drop everything and head out in an instant. We would not question, doubt, or hesitate. There are those that we love and cherish. No demand too high, no distance too far, no act too reckless for us to help, assist, or just be there with them.

My challenge for this Christmas Day is to think about God‘s love for us and our response to that love. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. That means there should be nothing that we would not do for our Lord. There will be no distance too far for us to serve Him. Wherever your road may take you for the Lord, my prayer as you serve Him with the wholeness of your lives and you experience the fullness of His joy.

Merry Christmas!