Is your heart heavy this holiday season do to pain, sickness, or death of your loved one? Is it draining for you to be around others, or go to family gatherings because the empty chair is too hard to bear? For some of us, the holidays are one of the most difficult times of the year. Many of us are not only facing isolation and hardship, but also experiencing grief. I know the retail stores are filled with Christmas music, glitter, and bows, but for some of us it feels like ground zero. It takes everything in us to shop for gifts, take holiday photos, and buy “season greetings” cards. The holidays are just not the same anymore. We learn to condition ourselves back to normalcy but that doesn’t mean everything feels good on the inside. For many of us, we truly miss the smile, the voice, and the presence of our loved ones. As a Christian believer, how do we find joy in the reality of our pain?
What do you do when you don’t feel very Merry, and the cliché of Happy New Year makes your stomach uneasy? How do you handle the stress of grief and all the emotions that come along with it? I know my message to you this month should have more of a jolly feel, but my spirit tells me many are hurting and are feeling the weight of discouragement and despair. I recently had a coaching session with a client, and I asked her to draw a picture of how she is feeling emotionally due to stress. She drew a picture of steps that were going upward but she said the downward arrow represented her feelings of not going in the right direction. Wow, you see the steps in front of you, but you feel you are going downward instead of upward. After we discussed all the items she drew on that paper, sone good and some not so good, she said, “One thing I do feel is hopeful.” As a Christian believer, no matter how heavy your heart might be during this season, do not lose HOPE!
The bible says in Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” It is my sincere prayer that you receive the Lord’s comfort in this season. To receive His comfort means that you are willing to be vulnerable unto Him when you are at your lowest. It also means you are willing to trust His way of comfort, rather than your own. I am writing this message not only to you, but also to myself. May we not lose hope that even as God is calling many of our loved one’s home, we can thank God for those of us who are still here on earth, that His comfort towards us is sufficient. I want to share ten scriptures with you to meditate on when the nights feel long, and the tears keep coming. I pray these scriptures will be a source of hope and strength even in your weakness.
“Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.” Proverbs 23:18
“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
“If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” Romans 14:8
“And whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:26
“A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:4
“To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.” Isaiah 61:2
“Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.” Jeremiah 31:13
“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Remember even in this holiday season that the joy of the Lord is your strength. Your situation, circumstance and even grief may not feel joyful, but the joy of the Lord is your strength. The joy of His faithfulness, sovereignty, love, grace, and mercy is your strength today and forever. May that joy comfort you, prosper you, bless you and sustain you this Holiday Season and beyond.
Carenda Deonne
Speaker/Author/Certified Stress Management Coach
