“Tis the season to be jolly . . .” But what about those who are feeling sad?

“Silent Night . . . All is Calm . . .” But what if there’s chaos all over the globe?

“Underneath the Tree . . .” But what if there aren’t any gifts or even a tree?

I recently heard a guest speaker at church who opened up my mind to the above scenarios. To paraphrase, he described how everything gets amplified during the holidays. Great things get amplified:

Joy, family, friends, gifts, wonderful meals, sweet treats, shopping, sales, bonuses, travel . . .

However, challenging things also get amplified during the holidays:

Grief, family strife, job losses, depression, anxiety, hunger, no gifts, divorce, loneliness . . .

Sounds so simple – but I found it deeply profound. We might feel embarrassed because we’re “not feeling it” this holiday season. We could feel shame because we’ve said multiple times, “I just want to get through Christmas.” There might be deep regret because we tried to manufacture happy holidays by racking up purchases on our credit cards.

It’s all right for us to feel and experience these things. It’s a part of the amazing journey we’re on as being fully human. It can serve as a reminder to our hearts that whether we’re experiencing joy or sorrow – this earth is our temporary residence:

For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. (Hebrews 13:14)

And since it is temporary, we can always have hope in spite of our current circumstances or feelings:

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. (Romans 8:18)

And finally, to experience that future glory, we can believe in and receive the ultimate Christmas gift from God, his son Jesus:

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16,17)

Blessings,

Dave 🙂

https://www.amazon.com/author/davidrische