Rejoice!

In the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.

Deut. 12:7

In my fairytale view of Christmas, all is well. 

The first two lines of O Holy Night remind me of that picture-perfect scene.

The stars are brightly shining

It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.

In my present day, all is well when my boys laugh and play.

All is well when gingerbread and cinnamon scents the air.

All is well when colored lights adorn the house.

Yes, then it’s truly the most wonderful time of the year.

But what happens when you don’t feel wonderful. 

One year, my grandfather died shortly before Christmas.

Another year, my dad spent Christmas in the hospital.

Yet another season, my boyfriend (now husband) broke off our relationship just days before Dec. 25.

Those aren’t the makings of Christmas songs. But wait.  Maybe they are.

Consider these lines from O Holy Night.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

That’s us. We feel the pain of sin. We’re broken and often hurting.

Till he appeared
And the soul felt its worth

Ahh … I’m beginning to see.

The thrill of hope
The weary world rejoices

Yes, that’s it. Jesus came to our weary world to offer hope and restoration. That’s precisely why we can rejoice at Christmas – even when our circumstances make us want to cry.  

Tomorrow, we’ll continue to look at the second and third verses of this great hymn.

Until then, here are some questions to ponder.

What is making you weary? Will you ask Jesus to take it and replace it with hope? Remember nothing is too hard for Him.

                                                                                           

Stacy