Showing posts with label Grief at Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grief at Christmas. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Let God In

When your Christmas doesn't look the same because your heart is broken, there are five steps I believe will help you take Christ's hand. Two we've already seen:

Let it hurt.

Let your feelings go.

The third is, Let God In. One of the most serious misconceptions about God is that we need to somehow clean up our life--our questions, doubts, fears, and objections--before including Him in the process. This sure isn't the picture of God His Son, Jesus Christ, gave us in the Gospels! Jesus loves moving into hopeless situations while they're still messy and confusing. The sooner you invite Jesus into the process, the better. He is always waiting for access to every part of your life--even your Christmas disappointments and pain. The New Testament says that He constantly knocks on the door of our heart asking for permission to enter and make everything better. 

Ed

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Is Your Heart Broken This Christmas? Let it Hurt.

Christmases will come and go; life changes. Trust me, I know. But I also know that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:5).

In these last days before Christmas, I want to show you five steps that have helped me remember His promises, especially during the holidays. I believe they will walk you along the path of connecting or reconnecting to the One who restored my heart and gives me hope this Christmas--Jesus Christ, God's Son.

1) Let it hurt. The first mistake most of us make is thinking that if I can just keep it from hurting, it won't. You probably already know that this is futile, but the holidays make us desperate for control. If you try to deny your pain this Christmas, the time will come when the grief of your tragedy or disappointment will wash over your life and you will feel truly hopeless and alone. Though this is a desperate feeling, it's the only starting point toward hope.

Ed