Christmas is only a few days away. Every year we are reminded to be kind to everyone we meet because “the most wonderful time of the year” is the saddest, most difficult time of the year for many people. I think it is even worse when a loved one dies on or near the holiday and that sad memory becomes a part of every Christmas after that. It is also very difficult to get through your first Christmas without someone you love. This is my seventh Christmas without Carol and there is still a piece missing as I celebrate the birth of my Savior. I fill that empty gap with fond memories of all of the Christmas holidays we shared together.
What triggered this blog topic was a social media post by a good friend of mine from church. She is single and she described how every Christmas she would enjoy a wonderful day with her family, then go home with sadness to her empty home without a family and holiday traditions of her own. This is her description of why this year is different. “This year, the more I have focused on Advent: the expectation and excitement of the coming of Jesus, it has made this season WAY different. I think this applies if you’re sad about a lot of things….Can’t gift the way you like, that burden I believe will really lift in you re-program yourself to reflect, pray, read and rejoice on what Christmas is really about. God still knows the deep down desire that you don’t have to hide or be ashamed about. You’re tired of something turning into nothing. Some people have been single a couple of years, but some have been spending this holiday alone for decades….with a gentle heart I ask, can He get the shine through? Can we reflect on what this season means so we’re not burdened with the commercial view of this season?”
Although my wife and I had each other to share Christmas each year, we always felt a void because we had no children to share it with. Now I wonder if my legs were strong and I had children and grandchildren if I would dedicate my time to serving God with this blog the way I do. The Apostle Paul was single. He wished everyone was free to serve God as he was, but he also understood that others are called to marry and raise children. (See 1 Corinthians 7:6-9)
My friend and I are discovering when your full attention is on God and serving Him, wonderful blessings will crowd out sadness and self-pity. Gratitude for the blessings we have will replace regret for what we don’t have. The true joy of the Christian life is we are never alone. If someone planted a microphone in my townhome, they would swear I was talking to a roommate whose voice could not be picked up by the microphone. Those people would be absolutely correct!