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“But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” Luke 2:19-20Can you feel it? Sometimes the dark lies so thick around us that it’s hard to see any light beyond. Like a fog, we don’t know when the darkness will lift. Perhaps during this holiday season, though, we can feel a hope that pierces even our thickest darkness.
During the holidays, our culture tells us to be in a rush and to be ever joyful. However, for many people, the holidays are full of grief as we are reminded of who or what we don’t have:
We recall holidays past when our loved one was still with us.
We see other families, happy and whole, and are reminded of those we are estranged from or won’t be happily attending our holiday gatherings.
Maybe you view the love other families have for each other, and you’ve never experienced that yourself.
Maybe you desperately need some hope and comfort this holiday season.
Our Savior was born into the world he created, but that world had no room for him. Those who should have supported and encouraged him most rejected him. He knew what it was like to lose someone close – most likely his earthly father, then his cousin who was executed, then a dear friend. He lived a life of suffering so that we would never have to suffer alone. He left the grave behind so that pain would never have the final word.
Think back to what that first Christmas must have been like. Two young, first-time parents, tucked away in a place fit for animals, but God was there. He was there with them, and he saw them. Then a ragtag bunch of shepherds breathlessly arrive – the lowliest of the low. Yet they have an amazing story. A whole host of angels told them where to find the Lord, the one who would save them from their sins!
Allow yourself to feel the wonder and awe of that moment. This is what Christmas is all about. A miraculous, incredulous story of hope that pierced the darkness of that night. A story for the lonely, the broken, the sinner, the lost . . . that God’s with you and he has a plan for you. A plan to include you in his supremely perfect, eternal plan. To fold you into his arms, the arms of love and grace.
God sees you right where you are. We are called to walk the path he has placed us on and faithfully keep walking. Keep spending time in prayer and in the Word, and continually point your kids toward the only one who truly offers hope in this world. As we prepare our hearts for Christmas, I pray that the hope of Christ would shine into your life and your home, now and always.
Copyright © 2021 by Nafisa Morris @https://rekindlingjoy.com/2021/012/06/hope-pierces-the-darkness/ No part of this article may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from Lifeword.org.