THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS – When Your Heart is Hurting!

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Christmas is approaching. Some would say, “It’s approaching too fast!” Didn’t we just put away last year’s decorations?

Christmas is a time of great rejoicing! It’s the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus, God’s greatest gift to mankind.

Christmas is marked by beautiful music and brightly decorated trees. It’s a time of giving and receiving gifts. It’s a time of laughter and delicious food. It’s a time of fortifying relationships by sending and receiving Christmas cards and letters and sharing hugs and endearing words.

But, when you leave the party or the dinner with family and friends, when you leave good company and a fun event, when you head out the door, the emptiness in your heart, because of the loss of someone dear to you, walks out with you. The pain of your loss strikes again!

What can you do? My suggestion is that you go directly to where your pain is fully known and felt. It’s the same place where you’ll find strength, peace and hope. It’s the place where Truth and Love reign. Read Psalm 139 allowing the following thoughts to penetrate your mind and heart:

  1. You are loved by your Creator. Psalm 139: 5b-6; 17-18 “You place your hand of blessing on my head.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!  I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!”  

    God loves you with an everlasting love. He thinks about you In the way we would think - often – and good thoughts - about those we love.

  2. Your Creator knows everything about you, everything you are going through, everything you feel. Psalm 139: 1-4 “O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.”

    Just when you think, “No one can fully understand my grief,” it is SUCH a blessing to remember that there is Someone who really does understand even the deepest part of your grief.

  3. He is ALWAYS with you. Psalm 139: 5; 7-10 “You go before me and follow me.” “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.”

    Grief is one of the loneliest feelings you can experience; but, these verses are a reminder that you are, truly, NEVER alone!

  4. He feels your grief and hurts with you. Psalm 139: 11-12 “I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.”

    When you are hurting, you often just want to stay in bed, pull up the covers and sink into the darkness of your pain. But, God is desirous to crawl right into the darkness with you, bringing HIS light to soften your pain.