Merry Christmas! I truly wish everyone a joyful time to celebrate Christ’s birth. May we be thankful for all God has given us. But what if you are in a tough joyless situation. What then?
Perhaps you are spending Christmas Day alone, in isolation, being reminded of not having family, of longing for a spouse and children that may never be met. What if you’re an infertile couple? What if you’ve just received news that either you or your spouse has a terminal illness? What if someone you care deeply about is making self-destructive choices?
Jesus understands. Scripture describes him as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He was stricken, smitten, and afflicted, had nothing about him that was naturally desirable; He was despised and rejected. He was not esteemed and people hid their faces from him (see Isaiah 53). Jesus learned obedience through the things that He suffered. Jesus was betrayed and abandoned by those closest to him. He died alone, hanging on the cross.
Jesus knows our weaknesses and struggles: He went through them himself. He was tempted in every way, just as we are, except that He was without sin. Beyond that, imagine having every sin that has ever been or will be done laid upon you. That is what Jesus carried so that we could be forgiven.
Even if this year’s, Christmas Day, is a difficult one, the best thing we can do is to turn to Jesus Christ and draw near to him. Through Christ we can have peace, perfect peace that surpasses all understanding, a peace found in God alone, a peace that does not rest on our circumstances.
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