{{item.title | uppercase}}

But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Luke 1:43-45 (NIV)

Can you imagine?

Can you imagine having Mary, who is carrying Jesus in her womb, coming to your home? And then in response to her voice, your baby in your womb is so excited it leaps for joy? My baby will turn 40 years old next year and yet I can still remember with piercing clarity what it felt like when I was carrying her and she moved. More often than not, it felt like she was practicing Karate or kicking a field goal. How awesome would it be to know your child was leaping for joy because he/she knew they were near the presence of Jesus?

Leaping for joy is not usually something we do much of as widows. Grieving often feels like it is sapping the very life out of us. Countless days in my early stages of grief, I would just lie in my bed, with no energy to move – much less the energy to leap for joy. You may be feeling that now. Surviving the holidays can really sap our strength. But you did survive.

Oh, but there is one more holiday coming. We are getting ready to ring in the New Year. Bringing in a New Year can sometimes be the hardest holiday. We find ourselves suddenly surrounded by people who tend to be upbeat and optimistic about a new year, a new beginning. As widows, we don’t want a new beginning– we want to go back, back to when our husbands were with us. What lies ahead seems like a life filled with more tears and more pain. And that may be true. But that is not the whole truth.

As we face the New Year let’s immerse ourselves in God’s truth.

J –

Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
John 6:57

We have eternal life with Christ! Our story is not over, it’s just beginning.

O –

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:5-6 NIV

We are one body and spirit, with the one Lord, we are never alone!

Y –

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Matthew 5:14

You have a purpose! You are the light of the world!

So while we might be tempted to lie in bed and wish we could go back in time, let’s instead leap for joy for the eternal life we live in His presence! We are the holy temple, with the God of all creation dwelling inside of us! God has given us the promise of eternal life so even if we are missing the physical presence of our loved ones, it is only temporary. We are never alone as we are one body and one spirit with our One Lord!

One day there will be no more tears and no more sadness. We know these things to be true because His Son has made Him known to us!

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
John 1:18 (NIV)

Dear Heavenly Father, we leap for joy today for You are our God! We believe in You and who You are! Lord, help us to remain faithful to Your will for our lives in this New Year. Thank You for the privilege of being the light of this world! May we shine brightly in 2023 for Your Glory! Amen.