Tis the season ...

If I had a dollar for every time I heard the phrase ‘tis the season’ ... and not always in the intended positive way!  Kids throwing up, ‘tis the season’ ... Crazy weekends, ‘tis the season’ ... Early mornings, late nights, ‘tis the season’ ... So many bills to pay, ‘tis the season’ ... Cranky kids, ‘tis the season’ ... Crankier mom, ‘tis the season’ ...

This year, this season has brought about a whole new batch of challenges, many of which I’ve been dreading for several months now.  Even Christmas cards, which I normally can’t wait to tear open, are set aside for days as I dread the sentiments that are written in complete love for us, but are still hard to open as they remind me of the ultimate challenge of the season this year ... a loss of what used to make it all fun ... worth the chaos.

Today, when I got the mail, almost out of habit I just started to open the cards, rather than set them aside ... the first one was from one of David's friends, which I would definitely have set aside for another day if it wasn’t for the sheer appreciation for how hard it had to be for them to send it, too.  Opening it, I found the kindest hand-written note ... May God bless you with a peace that passes all understanding and a joy that can not be taken from you.

A peace that passes understanding ... A joy that can not be taken from you ...

While it is rare for my peace to be stolen, I really am guilty of not allowing it to go beyond my understanding very often.  I’m pretty good about thinking things through or having a plan and as I’ve shared many times, my sin of ‘need to know’ often keeps me searching for the understanding behind things, until I find it ... Why, when, how, who ... All good questions, in my book ... I’m working on it, though.  In spite of myself, I am thankful that I have often experienced the peace that just doesn’t make sense, especially with the kids.  I recently asked them how they were doing without their Dad, and they joyfully answered ‘Good!’ ...  Sometimes it makes me mad :)   It certainly passes ANY understanding, but I’m growing more and more comfortable with not having to know the how or the why behind it.

Joy is another issue ... I’ll be honest, it’s just hard to be joyful.  I want to be ... or at least I THINK I want to be ...  It’s one of those things that I think God is revealing to me ‘the way’, but I’m not sure I’m ready to be well, yet.  I know that sounds crazy, but Jesus does sometimes ask first, ‘do you want to be well.’  Sometimes it is our choice and God has been revealing to me how selfishness plays a role on this path ... It is an ‘ouchy’ road, and not one that I am yet ready to share, but I believe there is a great deal of truth in understanding that ‘woes is me’ is as selfish as ‘look at me’ and satan is doing all he can to keep me without joy.

And yet I know that ‘a joy that can not be taken’ is the real promise of this season ... It is the hidden truth swaddled in that manger ... It is the power of a King who came as a defenseless baby into a dark, cold world.   I stood on those hills that overlook Bethlehem ... On those hills where shepherds watched their sheep ... It was not night, but as I overlooked the little town, I did look to the sky and imagined how bright the star must have been to be seen so far, shining down on the promise of ‘a Joy that could not be taken’ from us.  The same hills are still there and I know that the promise is, too.

While babies make it easy to be joyful, we can not forget that Christ’s birth is really the beginning of His road to the Cross, where He ultimately invites all of us to go ... And so I am reminded that ‘a joy that can not be taken’ must first go by way of the cross where Joy had to first be killed and buried.   If I stop there, joylessness would be the result, but a grave can certainly not contain a ‘Joy that can not be taken’ ... Only a risen Joy fulfills the definition and a Savior who is coming again is our ultimate ‘joy that can not be taken’ ... A Savior who came first to rescue us from our sin, but will come again to rescue us from our hopelessness ... Our joylessness ... It is in the role of His awaiting Bride where we find our ‘joy that can not be taken’ ... It is the promise of no more tears ... No more mourning ... A promise of everything being made right and a celebration that never ends!!

I received that powerful blessing sent by way of a thoughtful Christmas greeting and in the Spirit of the season, I’m willing to share :)  May God bless you with a peace that passes understanding and a Joy that can not be taken away ... it is a gift that I pray you will receive.

Tis the season ...
HOSANNA!  HOSANNA!  HOSANNA!


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