ADVENT--DAY 16
Last night I walked into the family room where my husband was watching the end of The Polar Express. I love that movie but it always makes me sad for all the people who cannot 'hear' the Christmas bell anymore.
Next week on Christmas Eve four years ago will be the last time I saw my then 17 year old granddaughter alive.
That, along with a few other severe blows, have made 'the Christmas bell' very hard to hear the last few years.
But I don't want to be an old grinch, an old grouch who makes everyone around her miserable at holiday time. I want to rejoice once again, to worship once again, to rise to new heights once again during this most precious of seasons.
Four years ago that same night when I walked out of the Christmas Eve service to a very cold dreary rain with tears trickling down my cheeks after learning my granddaughter was even sicker than I had known, someone said to me in a very exasperated, judgmental toned voice, "Dianne, you are just going to have to start trusting the Lord."
It hurt--I have forgiven, but it still hurts when I hear that phrase in my mind.
I don't let myself go there very often. I only did today for the purpose of telling this story and maybe bringing some encouragement to you--you who have experienced your own griefs.
I'm sure that person had no idea of the damage those words would do to my already wounded heart.
Most of us have a story to tell--a part of us that is missing all the time but especially at Christmastime.
I want to encourage you to give it all to God--yes, most likely there have been other Christmases when times were happier, when you hadn't just lost a relative or loved one to COVID, when you had more hope for our divided country than you have today.
--When you weren't on the front lines, working night and day to save people from a monster pandemic that has now claimed over 300,000 lives in the United States alone. --When your best friend had not just walked out on you--when you weren't spending 24/7 caregiving and weren't totally exhausted all the time.
There are so many scenarios of grief that could take the stage--Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3--but God prepared a scene that would allow the ending to be a good one--not only a good one--a perfect one--a dark night sky, a star, a stable, some lowly animals, an angel, a mother, a father, a new-born babe--
Born a babe and yet a king.
To hear the Christmas bell again, won't you ask this King to be your Savior, your Messiah, the Lord of your heart, your mind, your emotions, your will, your intellect?
And if you already know Him, but are having trouble with bitternesses, resentments, hurts that others have inflicted on you or situations and circumstances that have brought you great sadness, loneliness or discouragement, won't you give it to Him?
If we are just honest with God and come before Him in truth acknowledging our sin, and asking Him to do the work in us--We are capable of making choices and decisions to follow Him and His way--BUT we are incapable of doing the actual work--that is the Holy Spirit's job--THEN, I think we will hear, maybe very faintly and tinny at first, but, in time, with resounding warmth and perfect peals, the beautiful bell of Christmas that rings for ALL.
P.S. Look at the image of the angel above, let your eyes go to the bottom of her robe on the right side--do you see a dark spot? I accidentally punched a hole in this canvas. But I thought how apropos --we are not perfect, we all have our dark spots! But she is beautiful in spite of it, I think and that is how God wants us to be--beautiful in spite of our dark spots--He knows that we are made from dust!
Jesus righteousness will cover our dark spots. Thank you, Lord!
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