For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

1 Thessalonians 4:14

This post is in memory of those that will not be at our holiday gatherings this year…those whose chairs will be empty.

Whether it is a husband or wife, a mom or dad, a son or daughter, a sister or brother, a grandma or grandpa, or a dear friend, that person’s absence will be felt and their presence sorely missed in the coming days.

We will go on giving thanks to God for His faithfulness, but we will acknowledge that Thanksgiving and Christmas will not be the same without them.

The emptiness of their chair will not be lost on us.

We will so miss their jokes, their hugs, their special recipes, their prayers before the meal, their contribution to the table conversation, their competitive spirit in the post-meal games, and even their rants about politics these days. We will miss all of it.

We will be grateful for every single person around the table while also grieving the absence of that one.

Though their chair will be empty, our hearts will be filled with sweet memories of them and with gratitude for every moment we shared. And because of Jesus, we will look forward to that day when we can all be around the table again and there will be no more empty chairs.

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.