May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Romans 15:13
Christmas is a joyful time, there is so much going on it’s hard not to smile. Christmas lights, decorations, cookies, songs…it’s everywhere. When you have young kids, their joy fills your entire home (sometimes in the form of shouts and screams, but it’s joyful).
We have good reason to feel joy. Jesus was born! Anytime a baby is born it is exciting, but Jesus’ birth meant something more. We remember his Birthday, the day he arrived on earth because he came as our king.
His life means we can have eternal life. And that’s cause for celebration!
How do we find rest in all this excitement though?
It can be overwhelming, all the joy. Trying to absorb everything that Christmas has to offer.
It can be overwhelming if you aren’t feeling the joy. Life doesn’t stop just because it’s Christmas. There are still doctor’s appointments, relationship issues, financial worries and general anxiety.
Sometimes your circumstances aren’t what you hoped for and while there is the flicker of joy that still burns, it is not what you had hoped for Christmas.
You still can find rest though, because the joy of the Lord is our strength. When we invite God to join us in our joy, whether it’s a fiery flame or just a flicker, he will give us strength and he will restore us. This is what allows us to put one foot in front of the other and keep going.
Even when the nights seem incredibly dark, focus on the joy of the Christmas story. Invite God to sit with you as you read about the shepherds and the angels. Imagine how they felt that night. Find rest in the amazing story and the joy it will spread.
The thing about Christmas is that it doesn’t end on December 26. The world may take down decorations and move on but as Christians, we know it is just the beginning. We can have joy because Jesus birth means he came to save the world. And we can live with that joy past Christmas.
The strength in God’s joy is enough to carry us through every difficult, happy and frustrating time. But especially at Christmas, we can find rest in the joy because of what it mean. Jesus is coming and that is worth rejoicing over.
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