Imagine along with me. Somewhere in the heavenlies, long before this world existed as we know it, we find God holding a small pulsating light of life. Michael and Gabriel gather near to catch a glimpse of this curious, never before seen form.

“What is it, Master?” asks Michael.

“It is something special,” replies the Creator. “There will be many, and each will contain a portion of My being,” He explains.

“They are not the same as us?” asks Gabriel.

“No, they are not. They will exist a little lower than you. They will be confined to only one universe, dwell in the realm of time, and they will exist in different stages of time. Each will have a specific purpose for when and where I place them. However, they will be free to make their own choices with the gift I will give each of them.” The Master Creator begins to weep after this last statement.

“What is wrong, Master?” asks Michael.

“There will be trillions of these special beings, and I already know each of them intimately. It is my desire to be close with each of them, but the choice will be theirs to make.”

“They have a choice?” asks Gabriel.

“There will be an effort to sway them from me, but I already know what I will do for them.”

Gabriel and Michael turn their focus from the small forms of life in the Master’s hand to the Master’s face as he continues speaking. “I will become one of them, living in their universe under the constraints of time. My entrance and My exit will both be miraculous. And while walking among them in their world, I will show them how to withstand the one who would take them from Me, and I will show them how to live close to Me. For when their time in that universe has expired, those who choose the life I have for them will cross over to this universe to be with Me forever.”

God smiles as he continues gazing at the little pulsating light in His hand. The angels then watch as God begins to unfold our story as He leaves one universe and enters another full of black nothingness and utters with a commanding voice: “Let there be light…”

This is the time of year we find ourselves hustling over our Christmas presents and Christmas decorations, and we may take a little bit of time to think about Christ’s birth. I’m not here to debate the origin of this holiday or if December 25 was really Jesus Christ’s birthday, but I do speak to the importance of remembering why God did what He did for us and how seriously we take it.

This entire year has been focused on different aspects of relationships. We began the year with understanding our whole purpose for living is to dwell in relationships—whether we want to or not. We were created in God’s image, and He has a plan for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11). It’s up to each of us to follow it.

The level of health in your relationships with your parents, your siblings, your step-family members, your friends, your co-workers, and all the others I have failed to mention will be reflected in how close you are to God.

So I’ll end this last article of the year with perhaps one of the most popular verses of scripture. I believe it’s popular because it describes the kind of relationship we all desire. It sums up the best relationship each of us have: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Happy New Year!

Chad Flowers is married to his best friend and teammate, Mendy. He’s a daddy to two incredible little girls, Jadyn and Keira, and one son, Chandler. He lives in Mesquite, Texas where he has a private practice as a licensed professional counselor and serves as pastor of Emmanuel Pentecostal Church.