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Are you ready to celebrate Christmas?

Today is the last day of advent so our waiting is over. It’s time to celebrate the birth of our Savior! OUCH?!?

It can feel so incredibly wrong to even think about celebrating Christmas without our loved ones. The first year I was just in a perpetual state of numbness. The second year, the pain was excruciating but I was trying to put on a brave front for family and friends so I enlisted the aid of a talented woman from the church to “spruce up” my Christmas garland. For some reason I thought better decorations would make things feel better. It turned out Christmas looked nice on the outside but inwardly I felt hollow. As many of us can attest from experience, there is no way to hide, distract yourself or run away from grief, especially during the holidays.

Shifting our perspective from what once was to the true gift.

As the years pass my perspective is slowly shifting from dwelling on the wonderful memories of the life (and Christmases) I had with my husband to a more spiritual focus. I’m starting to really appreciate in a new, more profound way, the true gift of Christmas.

How does grief help? Because I have felt the deep agonizing pain of death, I have a more intense appreciation of the gift God has given us. He sent His son to die for us, so that we could be with Him for all eternity. An unthinkable price for an unimaginable blessing! The depth of God’s pain and sacrifice is an indication of the depth of His love for us.

During advent this year I have been meditating on Colossians 1:16. As I think about “waiting” for the Savior to be born, I try to wrap my mind around the significance of His birth. First I started with asking myself what if He had not come? I let my mind dwell on the thought that there would be no hope, just unimaginable pain with no end. Peace would forever be unattainable and joy would not exist. That kind of suffering is beyond my comprehension. The most devastating realization would be that God would not be who He says He is.

But God is who He says He is! He made everything and everything has a purpose! That means we have a purpose.

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
Colossians 1:16 ESV

We were created BY Him.

We are precious! The God of all creation, heaven and earth, made each one of us specifically. We aren’t a “mistake” or less than perfect. We were created by Him.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. I know that full well.
Psalm 139:14

Can you stop for a moment and just breathe in how much God loves you – He created you and He loved you so much He sent His son to ensure you could have a relationship with Him.

And we were created FOR Him.

Not only were we created by Him, we were created for Him. We are His. We live for Him. Our lives have purpose and meaning no matter what our circumstances are because we were created for Him.

Sisters, I am praying your hearts will be filled with joy as He reminds you this Christmas how dearly He loves you!