When Christmas Looks Different
A Note from Carol: I have a wonderful woman who works for the ministry, and let me tell you, she is the real deal. Her heart is soft … her motivation is genuine … she is uber-creative … and she loves Jesus passionately. Susan Myers is my little sister in the faith, a prayer warrior, my co-worker in the ministry, and she brings beauty everywhere she goes. I hope you will read her blog post this week and know that even in the years when Christmas is difficult, Jesus is still there. He is still the Christ of Christmas … the Baby in the manger … and the Light of the World.
Christmas looks different for us this year…and maybe you can relate?
We’re fast approaching the middle of December, and there’s so much left undone.
We haven’t decorated yet, and at this point, we probably won’t even try. The Christmas tree is staying in the attic. The ornaments are staying in the box. And the lights are staying tangled.
We haven’t done much cooking…there’s a turkey in the freezer for someday, but that day’s not in the near future. We’ve made a few types of cookies, but even a nice sugar rush isn’t inspiring my Christmas spirit this year.
We haven’t braved the mall to do any shopping, and I have no desire to go anywhere near those crowds (thank you, Amazon Prime). I even find myself avoiding the grocery store.
We haven’t sent out Christmas cards, so don’t be offended when you don’t get one. I promise that it’s not you…it’s me.
Even our local radio station that’s known for playing 24-7 Christmas music is only putting in a half-effort this year. Sandwiched in between Silent Night and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is Piano Man and the Pina Colada song.
It’s not feeling much like Christmas over here.
We’ve been spending our weeks working…constantly trying to make ends meet only to receive an unexpected bill, discover a broken appliance, or find ourselves in a car accident.
We’ve spent our days in hospitals…caring for loved ones and nursing the sick…an ER visit with my grandma, a heart stent for my mom, and a mystery muscle affliction for my son.
We’ve spent our hours recovering…trying to make sense of what’s happened while simultaneously preparing for what’s next…only to succumb to the inevitable numbing of our minds with the games on our phones or the stream of bingeable shows on our devices.
The typical anticipatory thrill and celebratory excitement I would normally feel this time of year has been replaced by a quiet kind of reflective solitude. As the days get shorter and shorter, and we experience so much darkness, I find my heart searching even more fervently for the light.
In a very literal sense, I need light to see. I’m no good to anyone stumbling around in the dark, trying to find my way. In an even more real spiritual sense, I need the Light of Christ’s presence to guide me.
I’ve tried running my own life and doing things my way…it’s not pretty and it’s certainly not effective. It ends up the same way as if I were stumbling around in the dark: someone is going to get hurt and something is going to get broken.
This world is really good at hurting people and breaking things, so it’s not surprising if you’re feeling a little lost in the dark this year. If you’re struggling this Christmas, you’re not alone. In fact, you’re just the person Jesus came to save.
In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
If you are following Him, you have the light of life! The darkness of this world cannot overcome the light of God. His Light not only reveals but also redeems. In acknowledging our own hurt and brokenness, and being willing to lay it down at His feet, we can fully embrace the hardship of this season as well as cling to the radiant hope of tomorrow.
It doesn’t make sense now, but there will come a day when you will understand why things happened the way they did. There is a purpose in the pain, and you can have joy, even in the middle of hard times.
Where do you find joy? There’s only one source that I have found that is enough to sustain me even through the darkest winter, and it has nothing to do with wrapping paper and gifts. If you are looking for joy anywhere other than the unwavering anchor of Christ, you are going to find yourself disappointed.
Life is hard. It’s filled with unpredictable twists and turns. Through it all, Jesus is my anchor, my source of strength, purpose, and enduring hope. I can’t imagine going through life without Him, and as I prepare to celebrate a very subdued and low-key Christmas, I can’t help but think maybe He is stripping away the worldly trappings of this season so I can focus on what really matters.
It’s not the gifts or the decorations or the music. It’s not the food or the family or the cards. It’s not the snow or the pine trees or the mistletoe. It’s not the days off work or the candlelight church service or the countdown advent calendar.
Even if I had all of those things, it still doesn’t feel like Christmas. And maybe that’s okay. Maybe Christmas is less about a feeling and more about a fact: Jesus came to earth on a rescue mission.
Thirteen different times in the Gospels, Jesus described His mission using the phrase “I have come…”
“I have come to call sinners…” Matthew 9:13
“I have come to do God’s will…” John 6:38
“I have come as Light into the world…” John 12:46
“I have come into the world, to testify to the truth…” John 18:37
“I have come to save the world…” John 12:47
Jesus came on a mission “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). We were lost, separated from God, and Jesus chose to enter into our world and offer Himself as a ransom to bring us back.
And that’s something worth celebrating this year! Even if Christmas looks a little different…even if you don’t feel like enjoying this season…you can choose to celebrate His arrival into our darkness with joy.
