Some of you may remember this picture from Christmas 2010. One year ago on Christmas morning, my husband snapped this photo of me with my 89-year-old mother. Just over six months later, on July 2, 2011, we all gathered together to celebrate her 90th birthday. Then, on August 3, just one month and one day later, Mom “graduated to heaven,” where she is now spending Christmas with the One whose birth we now celebrate.

Wow. What a difference a year makes! Or even a month or a week or a day. We aren’t promised any time beyond this moment, at least so far as our temporal life here on earth, but we are promised eternity with Christ if we receive Him as our Savior and turn our lives over to Him.

Mom did that when she was fifty years old, and she lived the last forty of her years as a child of God. That’s why, as Christmas 2011 closes in on us, we can rejoice for her even though our celebration is tinged with the sadness of missing her. We know where Mom is at this very moment, and one day soon we will join her there. What a great and precious promise!

If you haven’t already settled that “forever issue” in your own heart, don’t let another minute go by without doing so. None of us knows where we will be this time next year, but if we know the One who holds the future in His nail-scarred hands, we can rest in His eternal security. Just ask Him to forgive you, to be your Lord and Savior, to keep you close to His heart for all eternity–and He will faithfully do so. And then, if there’s someone you need to visit or call or just makes things right with, do it now…while you still can. Trust me; you’ll be glad you did.

Merry Christmas, beloved ones, and a joyous New Year to all of you!