51 results for tag: Holidays
Christmas Hope
O holy nightThe stars are brightly shiningIt is the night of our dear Savior's birthLong lay the world in sin and e'er pining'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worthA thrill of hope the weary world rejoicesFor 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 ...
Cultivating a Heart of Thanksgiving
In 1 Thess. 5:18, Paul urges the church to “give thanks in all things.” I’ve read this verse countless times. I know that in the hurtful things, the hard things, and the can’t-keep-it-together things, my response must be one of gratitude. But sometimes, the distance between my head and my heart seems endlessly long. How do I give thanks for something I am not thankful for?
Have you ever felt this way? How can you cultivate a heart of thanksgiving during illness, following the loss of a child, or through life's numerous trials and difficulties when it seems as though those painful circumstances require every ...
Easter Mourning
Never did the resurrection bring such comfort to my weary heart as when I first found out that my baby’s heart had stopped beating. I was suddenly faced with the reality of death and all that it had stripped me of—all of the firsts and all the memories that would never be experienced, the innocence and care-free naivety of pregnancy, and the sense of “completeness” for our family. Something—someone—would always be missing. Fear and anxiety now had greater access to my heart through the terrible wound that was opened in the wake of my child’s death. Grief would now be my faithful companion for the rest of my weary days on earth.&nb...
Consider the Cross
As mothers who have heard the words, “there is no heartbeat,” who have held the lifeless body of their precious baby, or who have watched their child take their final breath, the cross tells us that we are not alone. This day that we call “Good Friday” is the day that God watched His only Son die. Our God can and does empathize with us in our sorrow, because He has felt it too.
That cross—it is heart-wrenching and bloody. It is shameful and full of rejection. It is painful, and terrifying, and yet so beautiful.
When I begin to think about what my Savior endured on that cross for me, my soul weighs heavy. It is never easy to linger ...
A Renewed Focus for the New Year
New Year’s resolutions have a bad reputation. So much so that my husband decided to start working out on December 31 last year to avoid quitting during 2019. I will say he was successful in his reasoning, but one day didn’t actually make the difference. His commitment to one day at a time with focus on his future goals did.
As believers, we often find ourselves living with this temporary, humanistic view of time—we are impatient, frustrated in trials, lacking in perseverance, not living with eternity in mind, worrying, not trusting God for provision, or living in fear. Often, our goal is to make this life as easy as possible, not ...
Hope: The Reason We Celebrate
Nine. Nine Christmases without my baby boy. Nine years of slowly driving around town, sipping hot chocolate, looking at Christmas lights, and wondering which house would be his favorite. Nine years of walking down the boy toy aisle at Target and choking back tears. Nine years of feeling like a big part of my heart is missing during the holidays.
As a grieving mother, it feels like pain and sadness just come out of nowhere, especially during the holidays. If you’ve had to excuse yourself from a party because you just can’t seem to hold back the tears anymore, you are not alone. If looking a teeny, tiny Christmas jammies have made you start ...
Healing and Hope at Christmas
“What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
Who is this who lives with the lowly,
Sharing their sorrows, knowing their hunger?
This is Christ, revealed to the world
In the eyes of a child, a child of the poor.
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.”
Two of my favorite Christmas songs are What Child Is This? and Child of the Poor. Their haunting melodies draw me in to reflect on the lowly humanity of Christ and then worship Him as Savior.
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A Prayer of Hope and Encouragement For Thanksgiving
Father, if directed by my flesh alone, thanks might not pass from my lips easily today. My heart aches for the little ones who are missing from our family gathering. Their absence is felt deeply; their empty chairs taunt me. I am undone.
In my sorrow, I call out to You, “How long, O Lord? How shall I endure this terrible affliction? These empty arms are more than I can bear!” I bring You my tears, my brokenness, my longing. I know Your mercy will be enough. It always has been. You always have been.
My cries matter to You. Each new day greets me with fresh mercy. My heart, shattered by grief, is being made whole once again. If left ...
This Thanksgiving, Remember That God Sees You
Mama, I see you. I see your tears, your ache, your pain. More importantly, God sees you. You are not alone, even if you feel like it as the holidays are approaching. "It’s the most wonderful time of the year," right? But often, when we're in the thick of our grief, it's not. The coming days may be hard, but not impossible. Even in the thick of our grief, our God promises to be with us constantly and consistently—and He is close, very close, to you, Mama.
Let me share with you a few ideas of encouragement this Thanksgiving, and remind you, even if you don't believe it today, that you will get through this. You will, brave Mama, with ...
My First Father’s Day: A Memoir
My first Father’s Day was not like the one we all imagine in our heads.
Of sleeping in late and waking up to fresh brewed coffee and breakfast in bed. A neatly wrapped gift of a new tie. A chubby hand print picture with “I love Daddy” in mommy’s handwriting rainbowed over it. All this followed by a lazy day at home with wife and kid meeting my every need, serving my every desire, and making me a steak dinner to round out a perfect day all about me. #1 Dad. in. the. world.
Yeah, that did not happen.
Father’s Day 2011 was eight months after Gwendolyn went home. The sting of death lingered but was dulled by the demands of directing a ...
