Letter #7: Christmas

Dear friend,

Gosh, it’s Christmas week! How are you managing? It’s crazy how the emotion hits from out of the blue, isn’t it?

I think anyone who has had a friend or family member die would agree that the Christmas season is hands down the hardest. And ours is certainly death(s) on so many levels.

But what is it about Christmas? Well, the obvious thing that is not so obvious: it’s not just a day! It’s a solid month of promise that all the comfort and joy of the whole world can and should be ours — the most delicious foods, the romance by the fire with all the mistletoe and popcorn and hallmark movies you can cobble together, the joyous reunion of your entire family with a perfect snow background, laughter, games and gifts that would make Norman Rockwell envious.

There’s this unwritten message that the magic and glowing lights of the holiday will meet the deepest longing of our souls if only for a few days.

I’m not scolding here...there’s a reason for this!

The back story to every happy ever after is that we were made by God to enjoy a perfectly, twinkly, beautiful world. Once upon a time, God wired our DNA for relationships that worked with perfect understanding — all under the umbrella of a God who was the source of all the love and beauty! But we had this default towards control and that led to us deciding we knew better, hiding from God and now we are left living with the curse that affects everything and everyone 24/7.

The world we share is broken. That’s why there’s an ache and longing around Christmas that can’t be sustained. January always comes again!

Except!

If we love and serve Jesus, one day, we will feast to no end and it will feel like we just picked up our forks. Every heartache, every loss, every tear will be wiped away.

 Hang on, friend, to every legitimate desire to create beauty and meaning with your sweet families. But when you start to feel the ache of your world that came crumbling down and all the ripple effects of which you have no control, sit down and pull out your fork. Eat with Jesus. Read His words of comfort and cheer. Imagine him putting His arm around you with these reassuring promises...

I will never leave you or forsake you. I am the light of the world.

I am the source of your light.

I hold all your tears in a bottle.

I have counted every sleepless night.

I will fight for you.

I know what it feels like to be betrayed.

I care for you more than the whole world.

I see the past, the present and the future. I’ve got you! Trust me! I long to heal you. Let me.

One day, I promise, all will be made right.

Eat until your soul is satisfied with Him alone. Let’s encourage each other with these words and lean in HARD to the Lover of our Souls.

Merry Christmas!