Recently, my children and I were discussing the colors and mascots of Christmas. Where Santa Claus started, why reindeer, who chose red and green as the primary colors of Christmas? As I explained that green was for the evergreen tree representing eternal life, white represented the purity of Jesus as God in human form, and red represented His blood shed for our sins, Luke was shocked that the commercial colors of Christmas actually represented the Biblical reason we celebrated. He had no idea they were actually related.
I was encouraged just to be having this conversation with my teenage children; we always make an effort to make sure they remember the true reason for Christmas and not just the commercial and material reasons for excitement in December. But as we decorated our home with all of our favorite Christmas items, I was struck by the dullness of the colors in our nativity scene. I went to each room and from the smallest to the largest, including the antique blowmold set out in the front yard, the nativities all were lackluster in color compared to all the rest of the glittering, bright, shiny, colorful decor.
To be honest, the nativity kind of matches the color of my heart this holiday season, and I feel confident I am not alone. The holidays see a higher rate of depression, anxiety, suicide attempts, and heart attacks than any other time of year. Isn’t that ironic?! A time of great joy and celebration for many, magic even, is for many others a time of heavy grief, stress, and loneliness.
As the “Mom” in my home, I feel the pressure to make the magic happen, so when my heart feels dull and lacking sparkle, I struggle with insecurity and self-doubt. Is my faith lacking? Am I a bad mother? Shouldn’t I be doing more?! But then, in quiet moments, the Spirit speaks to me and reminds me that the sweet baby Jesus was born in a barn to young poor parents for a reason: the Creator of the universe reaches down to be with us in our lowest, most lackluster moments. Jesus said himself that He came not for the righteous, but for sinners, not for the healthy, but for the sick. (Mark 2:17) He came to be near to the brokenhearted and to save those of us who are suffering in spirit. (Psalm 134: 18)
We don’t have to be shiny and bright to be right with God. He is here for us in the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. He left the splendor of Heaven to sit with us in the muck and mire of this life, because He loves us that much. He is that generous with His grace and mercy that He reaches down to hold us up when we aren’t strong enough to stand alone.
One thing I am learning this year is that you can hold two seemingly opposite things at one time: you can hold great sorrow and great joy together. You can miss loved ones and be grateful for the ones still in your home. You can grieve what was, the parts of yourself and your childhood that you can never have back, while still creating lasting memories and moments in the present. And while life brings challenges and we will all face hard days, we can have peace, hope, and love because He meets us in the simplest and lowest places.
I will close with some lyrics to one of my favorite hymns. This is traditionally a song we sing at Easter, but I can’t help but have this run through my mind lately, and I pray that it gives you as much hope this Christmas season as it has given me:
God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.
How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives.
But greater still the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days because He lives.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.
Remember, Jesus loves you and so do I!
Dr. Key
