Christmas Hope

O holy night
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and e’er pining
‘Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Does it seem as though the thrill of hope has been absent this Christmas? 

Everywhere you go you are surrounded with glistening lights, songs of merriment, and all of the sights and tastes and smells of the season. But when your heart is aching and broken, these joyful festivities somehow just seem to intensify the emptiness you feel inside. 

Maybe you’ve pasted on a smile and hung your lights in an attempt to hide the ache inside of your broken heart. Or perhaps your Christmas decorations didn’t even make it out of their boxes this year, because that ache was too great. But the truth is, you know that no amount of lights, or presents, or holiday cheer will drive away the longing you feel and the sorrow you carry in your heart.   

Dear one, we often think that hope and brokenness are at war with each other. When the reality is that brokenness is actually the soil in which we can best see hope flourish.   

Over 2,000 years ago, God sent Hope into this broken world. This Hope has a name. Immanuel. God with us. And as Hope entered this weary world, the heavens opened up in songs of rejoicing and a light appeared to mark the spot where He lay. This Christmas child taught us that often God’s greatest gifts come in the most unexpected packages.

Into the darkness, there shown a great light. The light of the world had come to dwell with men.

“The people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.”
-Matthew 4:16

This baby in a manger would pave the way for you to know and feel and breath hope. He came to die so that you could live. Now, as we wait for Him to come again, we have been invited to plant this hope deep in our hearts.  And we all need this hope, because it is what holds our broken hearts together. 

In this Advent season—this waiting with anticipation for the perfect fulfillment of our hope—don’t stop seeking the Christ-child. Don’t miss seeing His glory and splendor.

When you find your heart heavy from missing your precious baby(ies), turn your attention to the baby who came to give hope, and be hope. When sorrow begins to cast its shadow over your holiday, choose instead to focus on Christ, who will one day wipe away every tear and make all things new.  When the ache of death bears down on your soul, think of the One who was victorious over it. The sting of death began to fade when Hope came down. 

Loved one, as I write this, I know that no words can stretch around the ocean of ache you are feeling. But I am echoing the words of Paul in Ephesians for you today:

“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light
so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called.” –Ephesians 1:18

The very best thing you can do is build your life around this confident hope—this thrill of hope. Isn’t that what Christmas teaches us more than anything? This is what the advent season is all about—looking ahead to the hope that rests in a God who never fails.

Will you choose to turn your eyes upon Jesus? His birth has filled this weary world, and our weary hearts, with hope. And someday, He will come again.

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Ashlee is the Editorial Coordinator for Hope Mommies and author of I AM (Hope Mommies, 2017) and Identity (Hope Mommies, 2018). She and her husband, Jesse, live in Milwaukee with their children—five on earth and two in heaven.

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