Christmas 2009 is now a memory. Many of us celebrated with friends and family gathered together again as in year’s past. We hold onto our traditions so that each Christmas celebration becomes a certain constant in our lives. But even traditions can’t hold back the constant of change for our lives.
Many families may have experienced a different kind of Christmas celebration this year. Perhaps someone at the dinner table was no longer there, or maybe there weren’t any gifts under the tree. I’m sure there were some who celebrated with an outwardly smile on their face, but inwardly devastated by the news of a diagnosis of a terminal disease. There are others whose lives have been torn apart and Christmas isn’t a celebration, but a whirlwind of painful memories embedded in one’s heart, living each day in a state of darkness.
If, for a moment, we can look back at Christmas solely for the reason behind its celebration, the birth of our Savior, perhaps we could face our circumstances with an enlightened perspective as we approach the New Year.
I’ve attended many Christmas Eve services over the years. It’s one of my traditions and sadly for many years, it was the only time I attended church. In my youth, I’m sure I sat in the seat of a loyal attendee, thus robbing them of one of their Christmas traditions.
However this year, the service provided an enlightened perspective. This is the first year I celebrated without my mom, so I didn’t know how it would be. Would I feel empty and sad, or would I experience God’s peace and love for my life? Towards the end of the service, every person in the congregation lights a candle. As the lights in the sanctuary are dimmed, the faces in the crowd become shadows as the flame of the candles illuminate the room. As I stared up into the balcony of the church, all I could see was the beauty of the flickering candlelight glowing in the midst of shadows. It was amazing to witness such a small flame cut through the darkness of a large room. Christmas Eve was a cold night, yet the church was warm and inviting as the warmth from the candles felt like a blanket wrapped around me. The candles were more than flickering flames, but symbolic of the light of Christ as His love and peace cuts through the darkness of our lives. Through Him, joy can be a constant in our lives despite the circumstances we face.
The New Year is a few days away and many will return to their familiar darkness. Perhaps your darkness stems from grief, stress and anxiety, battling a terminal disease, or bitter heart. During the holidays, we temporarily place our darkness on the back burner, but by January, its shadow has returned.
What if I told you that strengthening your faith by reading the Bible and daily prayer could eliminate your darkness forever; would you believe me? Darkness doesn’t have to be a constant in our life. It can be eliminated forever simply by choosing to grow deeper in one's faith. But the choice is ours to make. We can look at 2010 simply as a year to make more money, lose weight, or exercise more and feel we’ve accomplished something significant. Or, we can decide to be the children God intended for us to be and spend more time in prayer, studying the Bible, serving those in need, and building our trust and faith in God. The choice we make becomes one of living in darkness or living in the light.
Life is too short to live our remaining days in darkness, especially when Christ is the Ultimate Healer of all pain. Eliminating darkness doesn’t happen over night, but it can happen to those who choose to deepen their relationship with our Lord.
May 2010 be the year of getting rid of darkness by choosing to grow deeper in our faith so that every day, we can feel the warmth of His love and peace as the light of Christ illuminates from our hearts. God Bless all of you and Happy New Year!
“The Lord is my light and my salvation-
whom shall I fear?
Of whom shall I be afraid?
When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear;
Though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.”
Psalm 27:1-3
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Thanks for being one of the burning embers of my life that help me to stay lightened and brightened from week to week. It does seem a shame that our resolutions too often involve our physical and material parts of our lives which have very short lives when compared to eternity. Maybe those investments into our faith would be much more beneficial!!Blessings to you and your family this new year and always.
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