54 results for tag: Holidays
Because He Lives
“And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” -Revelation 21:5
Go back and read that verse again and again and again. Our Great God is making ALL things new.
This, dear one, is the message of Easter. This is what we have to look forward to. This is the hope we have been given through the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Everything will be new and perfect. Nothing will be damaged or spoiled or blemished by the darkness of sin. The splendor of heaven is truly beyond the scope of our comprehension. And anything less magnificent and unfathomable wouldn’t be heaven, would it? ...
Giving Thanks With An Aching Heart
Simeon was due in the middle of November, the day after his big sister’s birthday. It seemed so special to me that the two of them would be born so close together. I imagined with excitement how much fun it would be, albeit a bit overwhelming, to have back to back birthday celebrations right at the start of the holiday season. There would be so much to plan. So much to celebrate.
But Simeon wasn’t born in November as we had expected him to be. Instead, he was ushered into the arms of Jesus at just 14 weeks gestation.
Rather than preparing for our daughter’s birthday while cradling our sweet babe in my womb, or making final arrangeme...
Christmas Joy
I spent some time this week looking over all of the Christmas decorations that are scattered throughout my home. The word "joy" appears at least a dozen times. The holidays are characterized by joy. For the entire month of December, families are driving around to stare in awe at marvelous light displays, everyone's kitchen smells like peppermint as preparations are make for an annual cookie exchange, wishlists are created or updated in anticipation of traditions of gift-giving, and playlists are curated so that the songs of the season are always ringing through the air.
But, it can be so difficult to participate in the joys of the Christmas ...
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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