The Line

When I was in 7th grade at La Grange Middle School, my class took a field trip to the Alamo. Before we even stepped off the bus, the teachers gave us clear instructions: behave, don’t touch anything, respect the property. Naturally, the very first thing I did was pour my Dr. Pepper into one of the old cannons. As a result, I spent the rest of the day glued to a teacher’s side.

But that day I also heard a story that stuck with me. During the siege of the Alamo, Colonel William Travis faced impossible odds. He drew a line in the sand with his sword and invited his men to join him if they were willing to stay and fight. Almost every man crossed the line. One did not — a man named Moses Rose. History often calls him a coward, but the only reason we even know about the line is because Rose lived to tell the story. And whether we agree with his decision or not, it reminds us of something: when a line is drawn, everyone must decide where they stand.

Years later they asked him why he didn’t stay and fight. His answer was simple: I didn’t want to die. For him, that line was literally a line between life and death.

We are entering the Christmas season, and Christmas is God’s line in human history — a before and an after. A line between darkness and light, bondage and freedom, death and life. The birth of Jesus wasn’t just a moment on a timeline. It was the turning point of the timeline.

Historically, the birth of Christ literally split time into two eras: BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, “in the year of our Lord”.) But the line that God drew that first Christmas did more than divide history — it divides our lives personally.

The world before Christ was a world of promise — longing, waiting, hoping for something better. The prophet Isaiah described it as people “walking in darkness” before a great light would come through the birth of a child (Isaiah 9:2, 6.) And then, one day, the promise showed up in a manger. Jesus stepped into a world ruled by sin, fear, and spiritual darkness and announced that a new age had begun. He said He came to bring good news, set people free, open blind eyes, and give hope to those who had none (Luke 4:18.)

For the first 19 years of my life, I lived on the wrong side of that line — the wrong side of Christmas. I was spiritually blind, stuck in destructive patterns, and believing lies that led nowhere good. But crossing the line and giving my life to Christ changed everything, and I have seen it transform the lives of countless others.

So, this Christmas, take a moment to reflect. Where are you standing? Are you on the wrong side of the line? If so, accept Christ’s love and forgiveness and step across. Are you straddling it? Ask God to help you choose Him daily. Or are you learning how to live on the other side — the side of light, grace, forgiveness, and hope? If so, ask God to give you the strength to continue the journey.

God drew a line that first Christmas — from death to life, darkness to light, hopelessness to hope — and He invites you to step across.