Christmas cards have been a popular tradition for a while now and I love receiving them, no doubt! The main message generally being sent across is, “Hey! This is my family update, we’re doing great, happy holidays! P.S. We love you.” However, one of my favorite Christmas cards wasn’t one I received personally but was in a movie. And, the message being told was loud and clear. Do you remember the Christmas card in the movie, The Blind Side? Mother of the household, Leigh Anne Tuohy, included someone new in the picture, Michael Oher. Despite sticking with the traditional greeting of, “Merry Christmas From The Tuohys,” the message being sent across shifted entirely and people talked about the change.   Jesus referred to God as father and was inviting those who were willing to listen to Him, to be in his family too. This was shown in Mark 3:31-34 - “Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." & "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother" I can’t imagine the change that took place in the hearts of those around Jesus when he declared them as his brothers and sisters in Mark chapter 3. Someone in the crowd could have felt completely alone until that day. You have the ability to shift the message you’re sending across, even on the days where you feel like there’s no one to welcome you in but Jesus. You can be inviting on your own. In fact, that’s how Jesus grew a crowd around him, a family. I am not saying this to encourage you to find a random person to include in their Christmas card, unless you find yourself in a situation like the Tuohy family. Or maybe you already have an open door family filled with people from all sorts of walks in life! No matter what state your Christmas card is in this year, whether you have one or not, there’s still something for you here. The main encouragement here is this: Help those around you see the bigger picture of God’s inclusive love. Some of us know we’re not alone, but others don’t and they need to be reminded of that bigger picture by acts of kindness.