What I hope to convey in this letter is a memory I have related to a young friend. Lots of times as a pastor’s wife for many years, I found that many people struggle at Christmas with so many negative memories related to their personal circumstances. Those hurtful memories don’t allow them to enjoy the season.
That was the case of my friend. ” Stealing her joy” is how I viewed the lament of my young friend. She was beautiful, talented, smart and loved the Lord, but she couldn’t get past the fact that her mother had died right around Christmas two years before. Add to that the fact that there was a nasty divorce mixed into her story. In a word, she came to me this particular day so very burdened and sad and unable to enjoy what all her friends at church were experiencing. The music and events at church, the hustle and bustle of gift giving, the decor of trees and lights, the meals her family was preparing, to say nothing of the fact that this was Jesus’ birthday, the coming of Emanuel, our Savior and Lord, and she couldn’t enjoy it!
As we talked that day, the idea of birthday is what stood out to me. So I asked her what Christmas was. “Jesus was born”, was her answer. “Well,” I replied, “if that is true, then the celebration would be about Him, right? When you go to a birthday party, the attention is on the person whose birthday it is. We sing Happy Birthday and give gifts and hugs. And if we are feeling bad that day about our own stuff, what do we do about it? Not go? Not join in the celebration? Or do we put our own stuff aside and celebrate that person?”
For whatever reason, that logic made sense at that moment. Now, that’s not to say we deny our own circumstances, but we put them to one side and celebrate Jesus. My friend decided to try it. She sang beautifully at church a few days later and joined in with her friends. She decided to celebrate Jesus. She read the Scripture of Luke 2 with new appreciation and enthusiasm.
Right after Christmas I saw her again and she had a beaming smile on her face. “It worked. Jesus’ birthday worked for me!” Years later after we had left that area, I went back and she said that she had never been the same since. Christmas was pure joy and even in the celebration, her hurts had begun to heal as well.
Jesus is born. Celebrate Him!