Category: Make Disciples

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Hope for the Christmas Season

As we come to the end of the year and the celebration of the birth of Jesus, many of us will welcome friends and family into our celebrations. Our time will be filled with catching up on the year’s events and celebrating the joy of Christ with one another.  I think that’s why we love classic Christmas songs like “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” These songs remind us of gathering together and being with people we can be ourselves around—a community of love and belonging.  Christmas often brings these welcome visitors to our doorstep. However, many will not experience the welcome visitation of community, belonging, and joy; the visitor they will welcome is grief. The grief of a loved one who has passed, a missed opportunity, a relationship that has soured, or a tragic and hurtful circumstance can alter the way we experience the joy of the season.  Where do you turn when grief shows up? I pray this chapter from Gospel Shaped Emotions points the way to Jesus who will weep with us and still lead us despite where we find ourselves this season.

When Grief Shows Up

Then Martha said to Jesus “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Yet even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” —John 11:21–22

Grief will show up on your doorstep at one time or another, and death will not always be the delivery man. We can grieve several experiences in our lives. The loss of a relationship, the choices our adult children make, the lost opportunity or the promotion that passed us over—these may well cause our hearts to grieve. The emotion of grief is one of the most powerful that we will experience in our lifetimes. Notice it’s not a matter of if we will experience grief; we will experience grief. There is a silver lining to the darkness of grief, however, that we will explore in the following chapters.

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Being Thankful Even When It Doesn’t Feel Right

“For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.”   Lamentation 3:31, ESV

I watched him as he walked past the parents lined up on the fence, head down, helmet on, with a quickened pace as he came off the field and walked to the car for the long ride home. Two hours earlier, my son talked my ear off about the second-round playoff game he was about to play. His team was coming off a big win in the opening week of their junior league playoffs. Sadly, the scoreboard eroded the enjoyment and excitement of his first playoff victory by the end of week two. He didn’t want a snack at the end of the game or a hug from his Mom. He kept his helmet on, so no one could see the heartbreak that leaked from his eyes. He loved football and the opportunity to play a sport he loved. But, it just didn’t feel right to be thankful for the game after experiencing a loss.

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The Chasm Between Feeling and Knowing

That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his suffering, becoming like him in his death. —Philippians 3:10 (ESV)

Our feelings often betray us. Our emotions can lead us to erroneous conclusions regarding circumstances in which we find ourselves and the people with whom we interact each day. I find myself guilty of allowing a certain feeling I get to dictate how I respond to everyday life. I may feel uncomfortable in a certain situation and have often allowed this feeling to direct the choices that face me. Let me explain: have you ever encountered a stranger on the sidewalk who has made you feel uncomfortable? I have, and more than once I have avoided eye contact, walked the other way, or hurried past that person in an attempt to get out of the situation. Why? Because I had a certain feeling and allowed that feeling to influence my behavior, even without knowing the truth of the circumstance in which I found myself. Now please hear me: I am not saying you shouldn’t be wise or that you should ignore your gut in a situation. I am not advocating a laissez-faire approach to life or throwing caution to the wind when it comes to certain situations and encounters. However, I do believe we allow feelings and emotions to dictate our actions instead of the truth of the particular situation.

There can be a larger-than-life chasm between what we know to be true and what we may feel about a situation. Now, should we be cautious in using our judgment when we do not see the truth of a situation? Absolutely! Many believers know what truth is but refuse to walk in the truth because their feelings hold them at bay.

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