So many Christmases have come and gone. Faded memories of times lost. Glimpses of laughter and echoes of tears all tied up in the decorations on my tree. My son Ben made me an ornament wreath with his picture in the center. Collier, a clay bear with a tiny red ribbon around its neck. Hart, hand prints. Will, a toy soldier whose arm is missing from years of use. Bo, a stuffed Santa Claus, and Dory, a glittered angel. They are some of my most treasured decorations because they were made by my children.
Andy Williams’ “Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas” plays subtly in the background as I carefully put the remaining ornaments on my tree, and the smell of sugar cookies my daughter Hart is cooking flows through the house. As I step back to examine my progress, I notice a string of lights no longer working. Frustrated, I try to find the source of the issue until finally giving up and removing them.
Sometimes our Christmases can feel like that broken strand of lights that no longer glows. Sometimes, sorrow or disappointment or loneliness can ooze over us and take away our intensity. A divorce, loss of loved one, financial strains, or health issues can cloud what once gave us joy and put a jingle in our step.
I remember the first Christmas after my divorce. I wondered if life could ever hold any meaning again. That year I had suffered the loss of a business and extreme health issues along with the loss of our family. The kids and I had purchased a star for the top of our tree from Lowes that year. We wanted something different. It was the type of ornament that had three adjustments: solid lights, blinking lights, or flowing lights. We chose the solid position.
Early one morning I watched the tree from my bedroom and thought of Christ. “For unto YOU is born…” The angels delivered a very personal message to us. Christ was born to me personally and to you.
Life is a series of starts and restarts – beginnings and endings. Even God started over. As funny as it sounds, its true. I imagine the difficulty of throwing an arch angel and 1/3 of his followers out of heaven; of removing Adam and Eve from the garden; of destroying His creation in the flood… but He started again. So many of us find ourselves in situations of loss and despair. We think we failed or someone failed us. We don’t see how anything could ever be the same. Could we possibly start again?
When God came to earth in the form of man, to walk among us as prophesied, He came to give us a fresh start. To give the world hope. He came to give us eternity with Him. He came to bring us home.
Whatever situation life finds you today, you can start again. Loss is a part of living. Gratitude is as well. The only way to finish a book is to move to the next chapter. Too many of us want to continue to reread the same chapter or go back to the beginning. The message of Christmas is about rebirth, starting a new, fresh and eager to serve Him. It’s about finding a way in a troubled world. It’s about accepting loss and moving forward. We are not stuck in our current circumstance. And Christmas is the reason we can “begin again.”
I wish you all a New Beginning this Christmas – a fresh start to get it right. I wish you healing and determination. I pray your memories bring you peace.
“Do not be afraid; for behold I bring you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, Christ t
he Lord.”
