A Cup of Comfort Prayers and Stories for Christmas by Editors of Adams Media

Author:Editors of Adams Media
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christmas, holidays, prayers, stories
Publisher: F+W Media
Published: 2011-11-21T00:00:00+00:00

The Passage of Time

By Evelyn Rhodes Smith

Your children and your crops

will be blessed.

The offspring of your herds and flocks

will be blessed.

— Deuteronomy 28:4

I SLID INTO THE passenger seat of our car for the forty-minute drive to my sister’s home in Pliny, West Virginia. For nearly fifty years, my husband, Ted, and I had made this trip to her home for Christmas dinner. Spending a special holiday on the farm with my sister and her husband had been a joyous occasion for everyone, but this year, it would be different. The Lord had called both of them home, and they were buried in a nearby cemetery beside the church where they had been active members all their married life. It had been a shock to all of us.

I dreaded the trip because it wouldn’t be the same without my sister and her husband. Yet, in my heart, I was thankful that my nephew, Steve, and his wife, Jenny, had moved into the homestead and continued what their parents had started. Christmas dinner for our family would still be at Pliny each year.

As our car entered the gates to the farm, we could see the house sitting on a hill at the end of a long driveway. A feeling of gratitude to my Lord brightened my soul. Cows still grazed on the hill above the house, goats, pigs, and geese were all over the place, and the barn was filled with farm equipment, and barn cats. The homestead was warm and comfortable, and it smelled of ham and sweet potatoes when we walked in. Laughter from other family members already there filled the air.

However, this year, Steve stood in the doorway to greet us — in the very same spot his dad had stood for so many years before. Later, at dinner, it was Steve who asked God’s blessings before we plunged into our plates of goodies. I couldn’t help but ponder the passage of time and how, as King Solomon wrote, “One generation passes away, and another generation comes; but the earth abides forever.” (Ecclesiastes 1:4)

Within our family, one generation had moved on and another one had taken its place. The homestead was still filled with warmth and happiness, and I knew God’s presence would abide for all time. We had experienced a miracle. Our family was still strong, secure, and intact. For this precious gift, we praised the Lord.

Cherish every moment today with your family.

Evelyn Rhodes Smith and her husband, Ted, reside in a retirement community in Charleston, West Virginia. She is a freelance writer who is active in The Bible Center Church.

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