Corona Devo 3012
This season--Oh what fun it is!
Oh what fun it is...to bake the thumbprints and snowballs and gingerbread men and buckeyes.
Oh what fun it is...to listen to all the Christmas carols and jingles and hymns.
Oh what fun it is...to shop and wrap and check our lists twice.
Oh what fun it is...to go to the gatherings and have holiday fun.
Oh what fun it is...to reminisce, to remember, to recall the Christmases past.
But--is it just me? Oh what sadness it can bring when we miss those that are not having the holiday fun with us anymore.
We all know that life is a cycle, and there comes an end of it for each of us. And the longer we live, the more that truth and wisdom becomes a part of our reality. But even wisdom does not dull the ache of loved ones lost, and the holidays can stir that sorrow in surprising and unexpected ways.
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief. ~Ecclesiastes 1:18
~~~
Oh what fun it is...to bake the thumbprints and snowballs and gingerbread men and buckeyes.
It's fun to stir-up the handed-down holiday recipes, but those recipes and flavors can come with memories mixed with sorrow. The holiday gatherings have empty chairs and our hearts have an emptiness from every loved one whose memory is all that we still hold of them. And we can honor them with our memories.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. (18) The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. ~Psalm 34:17-18
~~~
Oh what fun it is...to listen to all the Christmas carols and jingles and hymns.
But when we hear "White Christmas", our mind might flash-back to Mom whimsically telling us every year that this was her dad's (Papo's) favorite Christmas song.
And although there is no sadness sung in the jaunty jingle of "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer", don't be surprised if we get a cry in our voice because we remember chanting it loudly and over and over, forty years ago with our siblings when we were at Gramma and Papa's house in Florida for Christmas.
It's okay if the music sometimes makes us sad. Sing it anyway.
Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. ~Isaiah 49:13
~~~
Oh what fun it is...to shop and wrap and check our lists twice.
But then we might remember shopping with Mom or Dad or Gramma and filling the trunk in years past, but now they're not here anymore. We might recall how Dad always pulled out one last special gift after all the rest were opened...but now Dad is gone.
Sorrow finds us in unforeseen moments and memories and sometimes when we least expect it, and it's going to be okay.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. ~Psalm 23:4
~~~
Oh what fun it is...to go to the gatherings and have holiday fun.
But when there is a gap in our family circle, there is a hollowness instead of a happiness. And we can be honest about it.
Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. ~Psalm 62:8
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Oh what fun it is...to reminisce, to remember, and to recall the Christmases past.
But it's no fun to miss those who have moved on and whom we loved so deeply.
It's natural and normal and healthy to have some sorrow around the holidays. I don't think we are "human" if some sad memories of yesterday don't creep in once in a while. If we are living life right, then we have had many Christmases filled with many loved ones. And some of them are no longer here with us.
That's life...and that's death...and that's sad.
But the sadness in our spirit can also link us to the hope and truth that God promises in our tomorrow.
For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands...
(6) So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. (7) For we live by believing and not by seeing. (8) Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. (9) So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. ~2 Corinthians 5:1, 6-9
~~~
It can sometimes be sorrowful to be here when we have loved ones who are not. But our days here are quick, and in our forever-home we will live long. Be encouraged today.
- For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. ~Hebrews 13:14
- But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ... ~Philippians 3:20
sarah
https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com
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