A Different Kind Of Christmas Post: Come As You Are

Christmas Eve dawns wet and dreary here, but it cannot dim the joy of Christmas in my heart.

However, among the lights, trees, family, and joy, tears flow and a dull ache is found in the hearts of many. Over the past month, I have become more and more aware of those who spend Christmas in pain. It is not that there is no joy (though for some, I know that is the case), but it is a joy that is overshadowed by pain. Like a silent shadow, it sometimes fades, but it is always present ... haunting the minds and hearts of many.

It reminds me of the birth of our Savior.

Christ was born into our world like any other baby; it was painful and tedious. He was born in the lowliest of places ... a stable for barn animals. There was little comfort to be found for Mary and Joseph that night.

Sometimes I feel like we sugar coat the pain of Christ's unusual birth and agonizing death and just skip to who He was and is. Not that that aspect is not important, but we cannot fully appreciate who Jesus is and what He has done until we understand the pain He went through in the process.

Hebrews 4:15 comes to mind: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with us..."

Christ knows our pain. Just think on that for a moment.

He felt the pain of being born into a world that did not know Him. He was crucified like a criminal on a cross after being beaten within an inch of His life. He was perfect, and yet, never did He receive any of the honor and respect that He deserved.

From birth to death, He was humble, loving, a ray of hope, our Savior and intercessor. He deserved to be treated like a King and yet, He never demanded that treatment and He was certainly never given it. He was treated like a lunatic, a liar, and worse ... a criminal.

Dear One, God understands your pain! He sees those silent tears. He sees the haunting memories. He sees the brokenhearted. He sees the lonely. He sees the distressed. He sees those who have regrets. He sees the abused. He sees those who are fighting uncertain battles. He sees those who need proof of who He is. He sees those who need a miracle. He sees those who are weary.

He sees YOU where you are at! Do not think for one second, that no one can understand your pain.

He understands.

Stop running! Stop trying to fight these battles alone! God's Son came on Christmas to show that He is with us.

Matthew 1:23 says, "Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a Son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us.'"

That word "us" means you and me.

As we go about this season of joy and cheer, we can find assurance in the fact that the beauty of Christ's birth can be found in the fact that the Savior of the world came to meet us where we are at, no matter where that may be.

1 Peter 5:7 says that we can "give all our worries and cares to the Lord because He cares for us."

We can bring Him our tears, our uncertainty, our pain, and our doubts.

He wants us as we are.

That is why He came and that is why we can take refuge in Him this Christmas and always.

Merry Christmas everyone. My prayers are with each of you. 

 

"Different Kind of Christmas"

Mark Schultz



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PBEMfbWq_Y

To See People Through God's Eyes

People, people, and more people! Everyday we come in contact with many people. Some we may just pass by on the street and share a glance or a smile, while others we have intimate friendships with. Each face tells a story, each smile has some pain, and each person has their own unseen battles that they are fighting.

I have always thrived on people, but when I started actively walking with the Lord, He gave me a special love for all people.....strangers and friends alike.

I am a people watcher. I love to meet new people; I love to try and read the stories people's body language and eyes can tell. I also love getting to know people for who they really are.

See that man with the cane that walks by your house twice a day on a walk? He was born into a Russian family and served our country for over 30 years. He has a purple heart for saving 5 fellow service men.

See that woman at the gym with sad eyes? Her husband left her and she is fighting a bitter custody battle. She comes to the gym to forget for awhile the pain as she pushes herself to gain back lost years of beauty.

See that boy who is always willing to give a kind word and helping hand to anyone? He battles depression and fights personal demons that no one can imagine.

See that man who sits next to you in cycle class? He has been divorced twice and will go get drunk tonight because it's his birthday and all he wants is to not be alone.

See that woman with two babies on her hip? She watches children for a living, but longs for some of her own. A childhood illness left her infertile.

These are all real stories of real people.

I wonder what would happen if we all dared to look for stories in stranger's eyes and strived to know the man, woman, boy, or girl behind the mask? I believe this world would be a better place and we could see people through God's eyes.

"God does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearances, but God looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7b

Our Tears are Beautiful to Him

I was talking with some friends today and we were talking about how often we hear that "Guys that cry are weak."

Okay, I am gonna just stop right here and call stupid stupid. That is a bunch of bull.....Guys are human too.

Tears are a sign of feeling. They are a sign of pain. They can be a sign of pure joy. They are a release when words cannot explain what you are feeling.

Personally, I am a cry baby. I cry when I am sad. I cry when I am mad. I cry when I am happy. I tear up when I see a romantic moment. I cry at sad movies. I am a cry baby. Yeah, yeah....typical female.

Well, you know what, it's okay! One of my favorite quotes says that, "Tears are silent prayers in liquid form." Now, I am not saying my happy tears are prayers, but many times my sad and angry tears are. Keeping it all pent up makes me a ticking time bomb.

Of course, there are other ways to release pain and anger, but there is no shame in crying. For all the guys (and gals) out there told that real men don't cry and only the weak weep, I am sorry.

The shortest and one of the simplest verses in the Bible is John 11:35, "Jesus wept."

You know, if the Creator and God of the Universe can cry, is there any shame in you or I crying? Sure, we shouldn't cry forever. Eventually, we do have to decide what to do about what made us cry, but crying is a silent prayer; a release.

Sometimes the healing comes in the pain. Sometimes the rainbow comes after the rain. Sometimes the lesson comes after the test. Sometimes the tears heal the broken heart. They are not a sign of weakness. Tears may just be a blessing in disguise and just what you need!

Our tears are held in the palm of the Maker of Heaven and Earth. Our tears are created by Him and beautiful to Him.

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." Psalm 56:8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNmPL96zHnE 

"You Hold My Tears In A Bottle"