When Christmas HurtsSample

Here’s an uncomfortable truth: you can’t get rid of pain or disappointment by focusing on something good. You can often block them out for a time, but the stress remains, waiting to resurface again.

But here’s another (maybe more encouraging) truth: two things can be true at once. You can be struggling and still find something to smile about. Your family can be messy, and there can still be a lot of love. You can be hurting, and still find joy in celebrating Christmas. Jesus can be both the Almighty God of the whole universe and a helpless baby who cries when he gets a tummy ache. When we hold onto nuance, it allows us more freedom to experience the highs and lows of life, no matter what season we’re navigating.

Joy can dwell with pain, and there is beauty to find in both. That’s something that the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk came to understand as he watched events unfolding in Israel, fearing for his people’s future. He couldn’t understand why God would let another nation rise up and defeat them. God answered his prayers, but not in the way Habakkuk may have hoped. God told him that his plan to save Israel included letting them be conquered. At the end of his conversation with God, Habakkuk concludes:

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food [...] yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:17 ESV)

Life comes with some bitter pills to swallow, but God has promised us joy. Not only will there be joy eternally at the end of all things, but there are small moments of it now, bursting with color amid the drab and dark shades of our everyday experiences. In fact, our disappointments can make us more attuned to joy, and more willing to receive it when joy comes along.

Yesterday, we talked about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” What we didn’t cover, though, is the last verse. Check this out. The same bells that drew Longfellow’s attention to how much was wrong in the world also carried him through his despair to a place of insight and resolution:

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, good-will to men."

Among the notable old hymns of the Western church, a few common themes are marveling at creation, rejoicing in God, and enjoying fellowship. That’s not a bad plan for bringing some peace to the holidays. There may be chaos, conflict, and commotion all around, but there are also ways we can stumble upon God’s goodness. Maybe it’s an afternoon walk through your neighborhood, admiring the trees and enjoying some solitude. Maybe it’s a conversation with an old friend where you get to go a little deeper than you have in a long time. Or maybe it’s the lyrics to a song you grew up hearing but never really paid attention to, drawing your attention to just how amazing God’s love is.

This Christmas season, remember this anchoring thought: Jesus came to bring us joy and peace, even in the midst of hectic days. So keep your eyes peeled – you never know when his goodness might find you.

Reflection: In many ways, society has taught us to be aloof and cynical, like in the short film you watched on Day 1, it wasn’t until Theo’s plans were disrupted that he became more open to trusting and appreciating his fellow passengers. How might disappointment make us more open to beauty, community, or new experiences? Where might you find beauty this season that you might have otherwise overlooked?

Prayer: Read through this prayer, and either pray through it yourself or let it inspire your own words:

Father, sometimes I am so wrapped up in my own plans that I miss the small, beautiful details of my life. Help me to look around and to notice the gifts you have given me, whether it’s a sunny day, a cuddly pet, or a smile from a stranger. Help me to hold my disappointment and my wonder together, remembering that you have good, unexpected plans for me. Let me be open to every surprising act of love you send my way, praising you for all of them. Amen.