1-35pm
This year it is the quietest Christmas we’ve had in many, many years. Half the family is away and so things aren’t quite as festive as they usually are. For me it’s not a ‘hard Christmas’ – it’s just a quiet one. I don’t mind. It’s good to have less bling, fuss and food for a change. Besides, I know that the future will be full of upbeat, glitzy Christmasses. Whether it’s quiet or hectic, underlying it all is the real reason for the season. That’s the Anchor that keeps us grounded whether we feel flat this season….or fat! The truth is that like life, Christmas ebbs and flows.
Some will reflect on this Christmas as their most painful ever. The loss of loved ones during the year, will hang heavily over them as they notice the empty chair and feel the absence of a close family member who spends their first Christmas with Christ. Think about that for a moment. Christmas WITH Christ. They are not gone. They are just not here. They are in heaven.
Hebrews 12:1
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…”
The ‘great cloud of witnesses’ – those who have gone before, they endured, they persevered, they overcame. We can too. We must imitate them. Don’t become weary. Don’t sink into a pit of depression over the hardships of this life. Stay strong. With faith and patience and the strength and filling of the Holy Spirit, you can do all things. God is faithful. He is with you and He will strengthen you this Christmas and bring to pass future seasons that are happy and glad.
So relax and don’t stress. There may be pain today and a deep sense of sadness, but this will pass. God will relieve it. He has good plans for you and this means the best is yet to come. HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
God bless you!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂
