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Be still, and know that I am God…
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
(Psalm 46:10a, 11)

I stood in my dining room freshly decorated for the Christmas season with bright red and white decorations of various kinds. It was a beautiful blending of old and new decorations that had come together quite by accident. As I looked around the room at the various wooden signs accenting the seasonal displays I noticed a theme. Joy!

Joy was a­­n emotion that hadn’t come easily since my husband’s passing.

Grief had become the nemesis of my joy.

How could I be joyful when my husband wouldn’t be here to exchange gifts with me, watch the kids and grandkids open presents Christmas Eve. He wouldn’t be here to sit beside me at the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service or watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” after all the festivities were over. Christmas wouldn’t be the same.

As I continued to look around the room, I spied another sign located in the middle of my gallery wall…Be Still My Soul. It was a closely related verse to one God spoke to me early in my season of grief.

“Be still, and know that I am God”.
(Psalm 46:10)

It was a verse He would speak to me often as He nudged me to a quiet place, a still place void of the noise of the world where I could take a breath, still my heart and relax in His presence. It was a safe place where I could pour out my heart when grief became unbearable…like at Christmastime.

During this season, my ‘still place’ was my living room, illuminated by only the Christmas tree lights and a small electric fireplace. It was there that I spent many ‘silent nights’ pouring out my heartache, sorrow, and, yes, sometimes a pity party for myself.

It was in those silent ­­nights God would remind me that He was aware of my pain, and I was not alone.

He was my “refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

As I continued to look around my dining room, my eye was drawn to one final, but very important, focal point in the decorations…the nativity scene! Ah, yes, the nativity! I was immediately reminded that true joy doesn’t come because of circumstances or people in our lives but rather from knowing the One who, though He was God, chose to leave His Father’s glory to take up residence in the flesh as a baby lying in a manger. He would grow up to be a servant to all mankind, walking the path of obedience to the cross to pay our debt. He loved us so much that the thought of eternity without us was greater than the agony of Calvary’s cross.

But the story didn’t end there! The grave couldn’t hold Him, and He rose again, giving us the hope of eternal life! Death didn’t win!

And that is a reason for joy!!

It also means my present separation from my husband is not the end.

I walked out of my dining room with my head lifted and joy restored. Oh, it will still be hard this Christmas for sure. But I know I am one Christmas closer to being reunited with my husband and seeing my Savior.

May you find true joy this Christmas season as you reflect on the Christmas story. Love has come… Hope is here!

Father, this Christmas, may Love find all those who are experiencing their own silent nights. Draw them to a ‘still place’, hear their broken heart cries, lift their heads and restore their joy. Amen