I am heading into this holiday season with mixed emotions.
There is the joy of focusing on my blessings and the celebration of family and friends, but there is also the tension of knowing there are many who are experiencing loss, pain and loneliness.
I find it difficult to let go of the burdens being carried by so many in our city, in our nation, in our world.
I am joyful and sad at the same time … a tension I am not able to resolve. I can’t just dismiss it. The burden is too great.
The situation isn’t terribly different from years past – there has always been loss and pain in our world.
The burden just seems much heavier this year.
Maybe that is a good thing.
Maybe that is God reminding me to stand in the gap; to extend his love, his hands, his words at every opportunity, driving away the darkness by letting His light shine.
As I offer my prayers of thanksgiving to God for his goodness, grace and mercy – as I enjoy my time with family and friends – I will also be thanking Him for the fact that he is the God of Hope.
He is the God of all of our tomorrows, no matter our circumstances.
So maybe the tension of joyfulness and sadness isn’t a bad thing; not if I let God carry the burden.
Written by Diane Stermer
