Looking for hope and beauty at Christmas At times when life’s trials are weighing upon your spirit, the Christmas season has a way of making it even harder. Let’s be honest. Sometimes we don’t feel like getting all the decorations and tree down from the loft to decorate, wrap presents, or sing carols. Facing crowds of people seems like the hardest thing to do. Sometimes we just want to cry. We want to be alone. We want anything but what we’re facing. Christmas has always been a bit of a difficult time for me, an almost bittersweet time, but the last couple of years I struggled. I struggled a lot. Putting on a mask of enjoyment purely for the benefit of my girls. But at my lowest point last Christmas, people started coming into my life. New people who were to have a big influence on how this year panned out. At the time I had no idea what it all meant. Now, looking back, I see it clearly and I feel strengthened. I realise that God in His grace and timing knew of my pain and brought me new friends and help. It is thanks to those few people that God brought into my life this past year and the relationships he strengthened this year, that have meant that this year, I have been able to enjoy actual moments of joy, not just fake them. You see, while pain is often what shapes us, it’s the moments of hope in the midst of pain that sustain us. It is often in the biggest storms and rain, that our strength and blessings come, our healing comes through tears and God hears each broken heart and reaches out to us. Unfortunately the process of pain can rarely be shortened. Even when I longed for my grief and sadness to subside and give way to a happy Christmas, the pain remained. All we can do is look for moments of joy and hope. Maybe you have a friend or family member you can talk to, or even better, one you can just be near. Or perhaps you can get outside in the beauty of God’s creation for a moment of peace. These are the moments we can find in the original Christmas story. A saviour born into the world—hope for all of us—only to grow up and face rejection, betrayal and death. All that we go through, He’s been through. Our hurt and our joy, He knows it and He cares, he really does. Those of you who are hurting deeply this Christmas, or are faced with worries or sadness, I am so sorry. I understand your pain and know it may not go away any time soon. I simply pray that in the midst of the pain you find moments of joy. Moments when the pressure in your chest lightens, the knot in your throat goes away, anxiety eases, and hope peeks through. Look for these moments where you can. Take hope in the little things. You might find them in the beauty of a Christmas tree lighting a darkened room or in the kitchen with your kids decorating Christmas biscuits—when most of the icing and decorations get eaten before making it onto the biscuits! Maybe you’ll experience a moment of joy enjoying a meal and conversation with friends or loved ones. Look for the beauty of the morning frost sparkling on the grass or the watery sunset illuminating a cold winter sky. You may even feel a glimmer of hope at the sound of Christmas carols, the warmth of a fire, or the sight of your child unwrapping gifts. It’s tender moments like these that will keep you going. And next year, when you’re a little further on in your journey, you’ll look back and say, I almost gave up, the pain was so hard to bear, but because of Gods grace there were moments where I saw Him. Those glimpses of joy reminded me of what life could be. It’s because of those moments that I survived. Its okay to cry and grieve. Just dont let pain rob you of God’s small graces. Keep your heart settled on moments and let those moments make your Christmas. And remember above all, that people want your true presence and not your presents at this time of year. Really being there for someone is the greatest gift you could possibly give.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 20:41:55 +0000
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