Merry Christmas, Wherever You Are

What Baby Jesus represents is the gift of hope from God.

Photo by Phil Hearing on Unsplash

We're often told that this is the most joyful season of the year. All our senses have been stimulated by the aroma of freshly baked cookies, bright Christmas lights, cheerful Christmas music, and the giant signs of good deals screaming at us while walking in the mall. Yet these external stimuli could also make us feel sentimental, lonely, and despairing. When putting ornaments on the Christmas tree or wrapping up gifts for families and friends, some of us couldn't help but stop in the middle of things, thinking of loved ones who were no longer here, hearts that were broken, and relationships that seemed so troubled beyond repair. No wonder doctors warned that more heart attacks happen during Christmas than any other season.

I didn't do any Christmas decorations in 2018, the year we lost our son, Lucas. The last thing I wanted to see was the image of baby Jesus, and I thought I would never experience joy again. Among the many Christmas gifts I received that year was a book from my mother-in-law, JoAnne. The title of the book is "Heaven is for Real." It is about a little boy who survived a medical emergency and claimed that he visited heaven and met Jesus. What gave credibility to his experience was that he was able to "relay stories told to him by people he met there [in heaven] whom he had never met in life, and share events that happened even before he was born." For example, he learned that his parents lost a baby girl through miscarriage before he was born because he met his little sister in heaven. 

A good book sheds light at the right moment with the right message. This book, along with the manifold of others I read, comforted me at the darkest moment in my life and set me on a journey of spiritual renewal with God. I rediscovered that the true joy of Christmas is hope, and what Baby Jesus represents is the gift of hope from God.

"Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." (Roman 5:2-5).

People and things may let us down and cause pain and suffering. Only hope from God comes with certainty and assurance. Therefore, no matter how many setbacks we experience and how much sorrow we have to endure, as long as we have unwavering faith in this true hope from God, we will find joy, peace, and comfort.

Merry Christmas, wherever you are, emotionally, physically, and spiritually!

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

Photo by Tessa Rampersad on Unsplash