‘Tis the season to be jolly, but for many people, the holidays are anything but a time of cheer and good will. For those who are dealing with loss, the holidays can be a time of remembering what you don’t have and feeling the ‘holiday blues’ because they’re stuck in the pain of that loss. Whether that loss is as a result of the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, the end of a marriage, the breakup of a relationship, or like me and my husband, an empty nest; loss is a reality; but instead of putting a period there, let’s make it a semi-colon. What comes after a semi-colon shifts what preceded it. This holiday, let’s decide to shift our perspective and focus on what we have instead of what was lost. You will be surprised how an attitude of gratitude can shift your mood.
Philippians 4:8 gives us the perfect recipe for shifting our mood and focus. It tells us “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, lovely and admirable; think about these things. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
This year, instead of dreading the season, choose to welcome it with celebrating you and what you have. You may not have the person you lost; but you have lots of people who love you… if you let them. You may be currently unemployed; but you ate, have a roof over your head, and the promise that “You will reap a harvest in due season if you faint not” (Galatians 6:9). You may not have the person you thought you’d spend the rest of your life with; but your life is not over, and since it’s not, I’m sure God has someone He’s chosen and is sending your way who is far better than the one you picked. Finally for those who live alone, your house may be empty; but your heart doesn’t have to be. Go out and share your light and love with others. That’s the real joy in Tis the Season.
Peace and Blessings;
Gail