Christmas Hope

Christmas. A time of preparation and celebration (lots of preparation!) A time to pull out the lights, stockings, ribbons, and Christmas trees and go shopping for the perfect gifts for family and friends. A time to sing Christmas carols, watch Christmas movies, drink hot chocolate, drive around and look at lights, and experience the magic and wonder that seems to be in the air throughout the holiday season (at least, these are some of MY favorite things to do!) Christmas carries so much tradition. Setting up the nativity scene in our front yard, singing in our Christmas program at church, going to the Christmas Eve Candlelight service, having Christmas pajama parties, spending the day/evening with family, and so much more. It truly is a magical time of year that has always been my favorite. There is so much joy and warmth all around that it’s hard not to get caught up in the wonder of it all. Yet, sometimes, it’s hard to experience that joy and wonder this time of year. Sometimes, it’s not so easy to “get into the Christmas spirit.” Especially after experiencing a significant loss at some point throughout the year. Somehow, Christmas seems to carry with it a reminder of the pain and heartache that losing a loved one brings. Maybe because the grief you have been carrying reaches its culmination during the holidays when there’s so much joy all around but you can’t seem to find it for yourself. Maybe because there will be an empty chair at your table at the family gathering, a visual reminder of the loss you have experienced. Maybe because some of your family traditions just won’t be the same without that special person’s presence. Whatever the reason, it’s true that Christmas can be an extremely painful time of year for those of us who have lost loved ones.

Last year was my first Christmas without my grandma. She passed away in March, and as we drew closer to the Christmas season, I fully expected to be completely depressed and for all of my grief to resurface as I was reminded of the loss and realized how different things would be that year. I am very sentimental; I often feel like I’m much TOO sentimental and that it’s more negative than positive. I have also always hated change, also to the extreme sometimes! So, you can imagine how I assumed it would be to have to face Christmas without my grandma, whom I was extremely close to. However, I was very surprised as it got closer to Christmas. Yes, I was sad and I had my moments in which my grief did resurface and I reflected on all that would never be the same. Yet, I had an overall joy and peace as Christmas approached. It didn’t make sense at first, but as I thought about it, I realized that it made total sense! You see, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, I wasn’t thinking about the season in the way that I usually would. I wasn’t focusing on the decorations or the songs or the programs or the gifts, though I was able to “get into the Christmas spirit” and be excited about those things. My primary focus as Christmas drew near was Jesus. He was all that mattered, and He will always be all that matters. I began to revisit the Christmas story that I had read and heard SOOO many times over the past 20 years of my life, and by doing so, I regained a sense of wonder and joy at the thought of Christmas. Not because I was excited about looking at lights and looking forward to carrying out the traditions, but because I remembered that the very first Christmas had nothing to do with those things. The very first Christmas was about God breaking the silence and sending His promised One down to Earth to break into our darkness with His light. It was about humanity finally receiving the Messiah they had been awaiting for so many years. The first Christmas was about the glory of the Lord overshadowing all of our fears and interrupting our pain and sorrow with His sovereignty and grace! I thought about the shepherds. They weren’t decorating a tree or stringing up lights as Christmas approached; they were living out their daily lives and doing what they always did. They were watching their sheep. There’s no way of knowing what was going on in their lives at that point. Maybe they were depressed. Maybe they had lost a loved one and felt hopeless and alone. Maybe they were angry and bitter because life had not been fair to them that year. But whatever may have been going on in their hearts was interrupted as the angels appeared and told them to go see the baby born in Bethlehem. You can read the story in Luke chapter 2. Notice what it says in verses 17-20:

“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

When the shepherds saw Jesus, they rejoiced, praised God, and spread the good news! Not because their problems had been solved and their lives were all of a sudden perfect, but because they had met the One who offered the answer to their struggles. God’s promise was being fulfilled, and it brought hope to a hopeless world.

So, you see, Christmas is the answer to all of our pain and heartache because Christmas is about Jesus entering this world to save us and set us free! Jesus is the answer. He offers hope, and hope makes all the difference. As this Christmas season approaches and you wonder how you’re going to make it through, turn your attention from all of the lights and decorations and onto Jesus. Allow Him to break through your darkness with His light and fill you with joy and peace that can only come from Him. I’m not saying that it’s going to be easy or that you should just forget your loss and move on. Pause and remember. It’s going to be different, and it’s bound to hurt at some point. To be honest, I’m already starting to feel that slight hurt and loneliness again this year. But it’s okay to rejoice, because one day, Jesus is going to return and restore this world to perfection and heal all of our heartache once and for all. This is a promise we can hold onto and it will enable us to persevere and experience joy in the midst of pain. So, don’t be afraid to carry on with all of your traditions. Don’t feel guilty when you are able to rejoice while decorating the tree, hanging the stockings, and singing Christmas carols. When we focus on Jesus, He will enable us to experience Christmas in all of its beauty and wonder. He is the answer and He is our hope.