Tis the Season

Christmas... a time of joy, of love, of cheer and singing loud for all to hear. Right?
Well, why then, is Christmas also a time of sorrow, of sadness, of loneliness and just plain darkness for a whole lot of people?

I read a post earlier yesterday that wrote on how a lot of those latter feelingscan come from unrealistic expectations that we, as materialistic humans, set before ourselves. Which I absolutely agree with. BUT, what if, what if, no matter what we’ve done/not done, expected/not expected, Christmas is still just blah. Crazy to think about, right?

What if, just imagine, the entire year leading up to the celebration season has not been a good one? Or what if you just lost someone you so desperately loved? What if you’re still grieving a loss from several years ago? Divorce, custody battle, etc.... you get the point.

I bet, then, regardless of what is happening around you right now, in the midst of this joyous time, you actually struggle to find joy. ME, TOO.

Clay loves to read at night when we are rocking. The last few nights, we’ve read two of my favorites, “The Little Mouse, The Big, Hungry Bear and The Red, Ripe Strawberry” and “Merry Christmas Big Hungry Bear.” The first story is so cute, a little mouse finds the ripe strawberry, but the narrator warns him to look out for the big hungry bear. The mouse tries guarding the strawberry, disguising the strawberry and then just decides to eat it. The second story is different. The mouse has hoarded lots of presents, and the narrator says something like “the big Hungry Bear sure would like to have these presents.” So, the mouse guards them.

Then, a few pages later, the mouse decides to bag the presents up and take them to the bear. The next part is what struck me. “Little mouse, you sure are brave. No one wants to go to the big, dark, cave to see the big, Hungry Bear.”

Picture this: the little mouse is Jesus. Hurting people are like the big Hungry Bear. Maybe everyone around you seems to not notice your hurt, your guilt, your sadness, etc because you stay tucked away in your own cave. You may feel so alone, so hurt and just “not feeling it.” It may seem like it takes a while, maybe longer than it should, but Jesus will come to you. Great news!! HE ALREADY HAS. In the darkness, in the cold, and in the cave, wherever you are... He is there, He has been there and Hewill be there.

The gospel. The truth. The spirit of Christmas. You know, some years, it may be extremely hard to celebrate. It may be difficult to fake a smile for every single family member. The smile may feel a little real for a little while, and then fade away into the night. I don’t know what’s going on with you, but know this—-I am with you. I feel you. Some days are hard. Some seasons are hard.

It is okay. Jesus came on a dark night long ago. He will come again. And He will always meet you in the cave. The little mouse is here to save the day and save your life.