Piles and Sorting

The Christmas music was playing.
I had myself situated at the kitchen island.
Cards and envelopes were spread out before me.
Letters, Charlie Brown postage stamps, and address labels were nearby.

It is the season of Christmas cards.
My address book and various return addresses on envelopes were before me.
Pen in hand, I was ready to start.
I knew that it would be hours until I finished but that was perfectly fine.

It’s important that friends know they are remembered.
It’s a wonderful feeling to go to the mailbox and see that you have mail.
It is sheer delight to read family letters and see picture cards that show growth from last year.
It was an early trip to the post office and then the job would be complete.

I sorted my cards.
I made piles for in state and out of state.
I sorted the cards according local zip code and out of town zip code.
I put rubber bands on each pile.

When I got to the post office, the woman behind the counter said the obvious.
Someone’s been very busy this weekend.
I smiled back at her.
I put Christmas music on and began, I said, handing her the piles of cards.

I sorted the cards for you: in state, out of state, local zip code and…
Oh, the machine does that; there is no need to sort any more, she replied.
You can take the rubber bands off and bring them home with you, as if I had a choice.
All that sorting was done in vain.

Last weekend, I wrapped all the Christmas presents.
I begin shopping in early fall so the Christmas season is relaxed rather than stressful.
Bags and bags are in my closet.
My clothes that are hanging on a lower rack stick out to accommodate the packages.

No one goes in my closet except my husband since it is his closet, too.
His presents are hidden somewhere else, so it is safe for him to see all the other bags.
The problem with shopping early is that you forget all the little odds and ends you bought.
I enjoy getting all the bags out of the closet and making piles on my bedroom floor.

It is then I can see how many boxes I need before I begin to wrap.
Piles for each of my children.
Stocking stuffers over here.
Books over there.

Occasionally, a few piles are bigger than the others.
No reason.
No one is favored more than anyone else.
Sometimes I have to make adjustments; sometimes it stays just the way it is.

Mom loves me more, I can hear in my memory.
That was the favorite line said tongue in cheek.
Of course they never knew whose pile was a bit bigger than the others.
Everyone gets four boxes, though the number of items inside each box vary for each person.

Piles.
Sorting.
That’s the way it is with Christmas cards.
That’s the way it is with gifts.

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angel with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.” Then the righteous will answer Him, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?” The King will reply, ” I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” Then He will say to those on His left, “Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.” They also will answer, “Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help You?” He will reply, ” I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.” Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. (Matthew 25:31-46)

Piles.
Sorting.
Sheep.
Goats.

The post office does not need me to sort my Christmas cards.
However, Jesus will one day sort the sheep and the goats.
My piles of presents are things that are selected to bring joy to the recipient.
The sorting that Jesus will do at the end of time is the judgment we have brought on ourselves.

Hopefully, my piles will make people smile.
Only one group will rejoice on that day of the Lord.
The sheep will go to their heavenly reward.
The goats will go to eternal punishment.

Jesus is so closely bound to His people that what we do to them, we do to Him.
Jesus is so closely bound to His people that what we do not do for them, we do not do for Him.
The Father sees.
The Father blesses the sheep and curses the goats.

My sorting into piles does not have eternal significance.
Jesus’ sorting does.
Jesus’ sorting on that last day is final.
There is no choice at that point; one cannot hop from one group to another.

Sheep or goats.
Blessings or curses.
Jesus’ sorting is for eternity.
There is still time to be on the right side of His sorting.