Victoria Advocate, A Different Perspective

It’s always a bummer to get sick during holiday season. You know, just when you’re in high gear to get the Christmas shopping finished before the parties start. Such has been the case this year. I’ve missed several appointments, watched Amazon boxes arrive, and attempted to rest.

My chief motive to get well was Holidazzle. It’s a women’s event that happens on the first Saturday of December at Faith Family Church. Over the years, Mom and I have developed the tradition of going and inviting friends. It’s a sparkling treat as ladies decorate forty-something tables for a contest. There’s nothing like it, and the creativity is different every year. But that’s not all …there’s a lovely brunch, door prizes, and a vendor market. It also highlights the message of Christmas with songs and plenty of opportunities to laugh.   

It’s not the event for quiet reflection, so it surprised me in the midst of all the festivities that God should touch my heart—in a deep place that I mostly keep guarded and private.

A young woman spoke about the upcoming annual women’s conference. She promoted the speaker, Lisa TerKeurst, and mentioned how one of her books had really helped her through a time of grief. When she said that, something pinged inside my spirit. Perhaps it was because I recently heard about a young mother having an aggressive cancer diagnosis … or maybe it was because a friend’s husband died … the reasons kept rolling until I lost count.

We all have an area of our life where we think, “it’s not supposed to be like this.” But God was faithful to spotlight the vague frustration that often gets covered up. Even on the best of days, I don’t release it the way I need to. I’ve learned not to blame God, that He’s not the one at the root of my personal frustration. Still, I have the tendency to think I’ve missed what He has for me. That I’ve taken the wrong turns at such crucial points, I’ll never attain his original plan for my life.

Guess what? None of us do. We’ve all sinned and fallen short. His redemption is just as sure and strong and meant for me as much as the next person. (Notice how a sneaky comparison pattern slips in? That’s not of God.)    

But He knows. And sometimes, He wants my attention to comfort me. To give me the tools I need to fight so I don’t slip into negativity or depression. To live my best life instead of getting bogged down in the weeds.

On a human level and a God level, Jesus experienced those kinds of thoughts too. In Mark 7:32-35, Jesus healed a deaf man. But before it happened, Scriptures says, Jesus looked up to heaven with a deep sigh. I think He had an “it’s not supposed to be this way” moment.

I’m thankful for the nudge, even though I don’t understand the complexity of the human heart. Nor do I expect to get it right all the time as I move forward. If I learn to love others and myself with more grace, it will be a win.  

So I choose to look heavenward. I choose to celebrate this special time of year, even if I have to wipe the tears away at times. I choose to remember I wasn’t made to live in this fallen world. None of us were. We were meant for heaven. Sin got in the way for a little while, but it’s the mere blink of an eye compared to eternity.

That’s why Jesus came. To redeem us.  

It’s the reason we celebrate Christmas.