Could it just be effortlessly merry?

December 14, 2022

I wish this time of year was effortlessly merry.

I wish gathering together didn't highlight the absence of people who won't be joining us.

I wish putting up ornaments didn't remind me of the moments with my girls that I failed to cherish - how quickly time moves.

I wish that family dynamics were always simple, and peaceful.

Maybe you're feeling this way too.

Around this time of year in our family we talk about the hopefulness of Christmas - the anticipation of Jesus coming and bringing Light and Hope into the darkest of places. He came into the world in the most vulnerable way, as a baby.
I've been thinking about what I can learn from His vulnerable, sacred entrance. One thing I keep coming back to is that you can't have light without darkness.

It wasn't a clean, painless entry into the world for Jesus. It was a birth - messy, vulnerable, painful.

Maybe instead of fighting against the pain or messiness of the season, we can embrace it.
It's possible to embrace the hard stuff, and also celebrate other things in our lives:

Maybe we can celebrate having people around us that we love.
Maybe we can celebrate our health.
Our homes.
Our jobs.
Maybe we can choose to celebrate the small steps we're taking toward reconciling with family members, or the fact that we're setting healthy boundaries.

There are things to celebrate.
There are things to mourn.
We can do both.

Merry Christmas friends. May this season be filled with peace, comfort, and blessings.

*** Barbara Brown Taylor "Learning to Walk in the Dark"

1 comment

Yvonne Beveridge February 21, 2023

There is always hope in His light. Choose to embrace it no matter your circumstances!!😘
Merry Christmas to you all!!!

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