The holidays are stinkin’ difficult

/ faithsweatandtears / 2 Comments

I’m going to share something that is on my heart because I know there are others going through similar things, but since the holidays are supposed to be cheerful and lovely, we don’t often talk about it.

Sometimes, the holidays are stinkin’ difficult.

I miss my brother year-round, but the holidays always seem to exacerbate grief. Sometimes, I want to stay in my pajamas all day with a stack of books to read and no one to talk to, but real life beckons.

The kids are simultaneously antsy and bored, cranky and hyper, hungry and … never mind, boys are always hungry. They’re in vacation-mode, and having six people cooped up under one roof for too many hours at a time invariably results in bickering, but going and doing requires time, money, and putting on shoes.

So, there you have it. The answer to the question I’ve been asked for years about how I manage it all is simply this: Sometimes I don’t. Sometimes, I have an ugly cry with snot and the whole nine yards, and then I get back up and do life.

This isn’t a plea for attention on my part, but I do encourage you to have a little extra grace with each other during the holidays, especially. Bear in mind that people around you are carrying burdens that are so heavy, they aren’t sure how many more steps they can take before they fall down. Put an arm around them and walk a few steps alongside them.

Now What? (Prayer Devotional for the week of December 20, 2015)

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I remember sitting in the rocking chair in my living room after bringing my firstborn home from the hospital. Family members were visiting from out of town, and a friend from work had stopped by to see the new arrival. At one point, though, I was in the room by myself with the baby, and I remember looking at him in my arms and thinking, “Now what?”

 

When you are preparing to have a baby, it can be information overload – childbirth classes, baby registries, pregnancy journals, and other women sharing their unsolicited labor horror stories. However, there’s not as much information about how to manage after the baby comes home and reality sets in.

 

Unfortunately, I think we often operate in that same mode when it comes to our faith journeys. This is the season when we focus on Jesus’ arrival, and people who haven’t attended church all year decide to show up out of the blue. We’ve put so much preparation into Christmas morning – decorating, gift buying, grocery shopping, travel arrangements, etc. Yet, what happens next week, or next month? What happens when family members leave to go back home, the decorations go back into boxes, and the New Year gets underway? In other words, “Now what?”

 

In Luke 2, we get a glimpse of the hustle & bustle surrounding Jesus’ arrival, and I’d like to point out one verse, in particular. It’s tucked in the middle of the shepherds’ story: “… Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often” (Luke 2:19, NLT).

 

We have a choice to make. We can box up the Christmas décor and tuck away the baby Jesus figurine with the nativity set to wait for next year, or we can treasure the living Christ year-round. I encourage you to find ways to get plugged into a faith support structure. Your “Now what?” plan could mean attending a Life group, Bible study, or weekly lunch to stay connected with other believers. Or, maybe you need to start a Bible reading plan (there are gobs available free online) or begin a daily conversation with the Lord in prayer. However it works best for you, keep the Christmas miracle in your heart and think about it often.