December is upon us

It is December, and the Christmas season is well underway.

My stockings are hung, presents are being bought, parties are upcoming, and the music is playing. And there is a good focus on Jesus' birth, and the miracle that God wrought by becoming man.

However, I find myself stalking people on Facebook. Checking out photos or posts from those that have lost loved ones this year. I have had one not-close-at-all acquaintance from high school die this week. I remember passing her in the hall, she was one of those cute, peppy girls that seemed to be smart and well-liked. One of my bridesmaids lost her father on Thanksgiving. I remember going to her wedding and watching him, so proud of his daughter. And of course, there was a shocking celebrity death last weekend. But over the year, I think about others who've died - my college daughter's dear friend; another high school acquaintance; a child in high school that we were connected with; parents of church friends; the list goes on. Seeing death like this, I think, will become more commonplace, the older I get.

How do people convince themselves that death is something that just happens? That it is just part of life? I know some people that think this.

When I was in high school, I was an overly morbid teenager. I realize this is weird. I used to read articles of the Titanic sinking, or about the Nazi concentration camps, or about all kinds of historical happenings that resulted in mass amounts of death. Yes, I was studying history, but for some reason, reading this stuff made me really emotional. I have this strange empathetic ability that makes me really feel heartache. And that's what I felt in reading all of that back then.

Yet, I know now something I didn't then. I know that Jesus has conquered death. I know that this life is a momentary blip in the grand scheme of things. Still, that doesn't lessen my sadness for the families that may be spending the holidays without a loved one. How quick this life is! How wasteful it seems to spend time quarreling. How silly to be angry at obscure things...

My friend Melissa sent me this quote today, and I really liked it: "All we could ever imagine, could ever hope for, He is….He is the Prince of Peace whose first coming has already transformed society but whose second coming will forever establish justice and righteousness. All this, and infinitely more, alive in an impoverished baby in a barn.That is what Christmas means—to find in a place where you would least expect to find anything you want, everything you could ever want."  ~Michael Card, from The Promise

Even with the pain one might have from losing a loved one, there is still something more that can satisfy our greatest expectations, even when we don't feel it. Even when we feel like all is lost. Even when it seems as though nothing can ever be right again. There is hope, the strongest possible hope, in Jesus.