A few days ago one of my aunts posted something on Facebook about how holidays were very hard times for many people, and we didn't need to forget about those people. And as I thought about the struggles they were facing (she's out of work due to health issues and working on getting disability, Uncle Don lost his job at the mines, her daughter has been diagnosed with MS, four years ago at this time her mother was murdered by a nephew on drugs, etc) I couldn't help but think about the number of people who are grieving during this holiday season when everyone around them is rejoicing.
I have so much to be thankful for. I have been blessed in so many ways. And yet I recognize there are those, while just as blessed and loved by God, are deeply hurting when everyone around them is festive and ecstatic.
A friend of mine recently wrote a post on that subject: When Sorrow Begets Gratitude. A young girl left a comment, stating how she found nothing to be grateful for in the unexpected death of her brother. And I think that's the rub. So often the pain overrides the joy, the hurt is so great that we only see the dark forrest surrounding us instead of the beauty of each indvidual tree. Some of those hurts take time to heal. We don't use our broken bones until they're mended, and a broken heart is not that much different.
We're called to weep with those who are weeping. That's not always easy to do. But I am thankful that Christ said his very purpose in coming was to help those who are hurting. And while I rejoice in that this morning, I'm also petitioning for those who feel as if help and comfort are very far away. I'm praying that as their minds and hearts calculate the hurts in their hearts, that God's Spirit will comfort, and help them to remember and count the blessings, however small they may be, that they will have small glimmers of hope to grab onto, that even if the blessings don't currently outweigh the bad, that they'll at least be enough to stop the tears and give a pause to the crushing anguish.
I have so much to be thankful for. I have been blessed in so many ways. And yet I recognize there are those, while just as blessed and loved by God, are deeply hurting when everyone around them is festive and ecstatic.
A friend of mine recently wrote a post on that subject: When Sorrow Begets Gratitude. A young girl left a comment, stating how she found nothing to be grateful for in the unexpected death of her brother. And I think that's the rub. So often the pain overrides the joy, the hurt is so great that we only see the dark forrest surrounding us instead of the beauty of each indvidual tree. Some of those hurts take time to heal. We don't use our broken bones until they're mended, and a broken heart is not that much different.
We're called to weep with those who are weeping. That's not always easy to do. But I am thankful that Christ said his very purpose in coming was to help those who are hurting. And while I rejoice in that this morning, I'm also petitioning for those who feel as if help and comfort are very far away. I'm praying that as their minds and hearts calculate the hurts in their hearts, that God's Spirit will comfort, and help them to remember and count the blessings, however small they may be, that they will have small glimmers of hope to grab onto, that even if the blessings don't currently outweigh the bad, that they'll at least be enough to stop the tears and give a pause to the crushing anguish.
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