I remember when Christmas was supposed to be the perfect season, a time when the hardest of hearts could be melted, families put away their differences and you held onto hope that gave you the courage to do the impossible because, hey, it was Christmas. And anything was possible.
Where did that idea come from? Movies, verbatim.
Real life doesn't cease on Christmas day, it intensifies. Whatever was supposed to go right this year is like a bruise that only gets pressed, not healed, when Christmas arrives. It's all the worse because we know what we're missing-- or maybe just think we do. Most of us remember our childish anticipation for that one day. Even in the most dire of situations, the ignorance of a child was his protection. Maybe even his hope.
Bad things happen, not to good or bad people, just people. It isn't blind luck, but it's not by formula either. We can spread kindness and cheer throughout the whole year and still end up with coal in our stocking.
And what do you do? People are in pain, they hurt. I used to believe people could save each other, make everything right. If they would simply buy into Christmas as the time for miracles, lay their grudges aside...I no longer believe we can fix it, but that's okay. I wasn't sent to save this world on Christmas day 2,000 years ago. None of us were.
Annually the phrase "on a night much like this" runs through my head. Sometimes, Christmas sucks. It's sucked for a lot of people. I'm sure it was a crap night for some, if not all, of those shepherds, for Mary and Joseph's families or the folks gathered inside the inn. Hearts were torn then as much as they are now in people who stood by, unaware of the manger, the star, without any knowledge that their salvation was on its way-- indeed, had already arrived. They couldn't see it yet, didn't know. But it didn't change the fact that He was born.
Too often we throw up our hands in despair. We have been waiting for so long and when will it stop and what do we do now? And God seems so silent. If we will only wait, know that He is God, know that even now He works His plan and is putting the pieces in place for our rescue. It will be okay. We MUST trust Him that while it hurts now, He will come to us again.
Even on Dec. 25th, families can fall apart, reject each other, betray those they are meant to protect. We can find ourselves all alone, isolated or simply the last one standing. We can watch our loved ones die and sit in the shadows with a hole in what used to be our heart on what was supposed to be a celebration.
Christmas day can suck. But Christmas day was never about Christmas day.
Where did that idea come from? Movies, verbatim.
Real life doesn't cease on Christmas day, it intensifies. Whatever was supposed to go right this year is like a bruise that only gets pressed, not healed, when Christmas arrives. It's all the worse because we know what we're missing-- or maybe just think we do. Most of us remember our childish anticipation for that one day. Even in the most dire of situations, the ignorance of a child was his protection. Maybe even his hope.
Bad things happen, not to good or bad people, just people. It isn't blind luck, but it's not by formula either. We can spread kindness and cheer throughout the whole year and still end up with coal in our stocking.
And what do you do? People are in pain, they hurt. I used to believe people could save each other, make everything right. If they would simply buy into Christmas as the time for miracles, lay their grudges aside...I no longer believe we can fix it, but that's okay. I wasn't sent to save this world on Christmas day 2,000 years ago. None of us were.
Annually the phrase "on a night much like this" runs through my head. Sometimes, Christmas sucks. It's sucked for a lot of people. I'm sure it was a crap night for some, if not all, of those shepherds, for Mary and Joseph's families or the folks gathered inside the inn. Hearts were torn then as much as they are now in people who stood by, unaware of the manger, the star, without any knowledge that their salvation was on its way-- indeed, had already arrived. They couldn't see it yet, didn't know. But it didn't change the fact that He was born.
Too often we throw up our hands in despair. We have been waiting for so long and when will it stop and what do we do now? And God seems so silent. If we will only wait, know that He is God, know that even now He works His plan and is putting the pieces in place for our rescue. It will be okay. We MUST trust Him that while it hurts now, He will come to us again.
Even on Dec. 25th, families can fall apart, reject each other, betray those they are meant to protect. We can find ourselves all alone, isolated or simply the last one standing. We can watch our loved ones die and sit in the shadows with a hole in what used to be our heart on what was supposed to be a celebration.
Christmas day can suck. But Christmas day was never about Christmas day.
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