Ah, it's the week before Christmas ...
Truth be told, things might not be all that merry in your world. Maybe bad news cast a heavy shadow on your week, this month may have been a tough one, or it's dawned on you that 2021 has turned out to be yet another great big disaster.
It could be that years after a season of cascading losses, your grief feels as fresh and raw as if it all happened yesterday.
It's hard stuff when you're wading through endless expectations ... to perform, put on your fake-happy face, cater to well-meaning yet demanding loved ones with their endless lists and plans. Once comforting traditions become tyrants and a far-too-full calendar makes you want to crawl under the covers 'til 2022.
Bittersweet. Yes, indeed.
This week we're acknowledging the reality of both bitter and sweet in our lives. If you find yourself in a tender place these days, you'll most likely experience both smiles and tears as you scroll and click your way down the page.
We join together acknowledging what is true - that a peace-fueled joy and untold sorrow are somehow able to mingle well together. Kind of like kissing cousins. Or pretzels and chocolate.
He understands.
The women in my life agree on this yummy hand-spun stress reliever after a frazzling work day. An unpleasant visit with the doctor. Or troublesome news.
Did you catch 2021's Top Three Books this week?
And yes, friends, there is light at the end of the grief tunnel.
Oh, this song puts words to where we are. Thank You, Jesus.
This last minute gift certificate just might end up being your most thoughtful gift ever. Click here to get your copy.
Watch for the serendipitous
little joys God will choose
to bless you with this week.
Yes, even in those moments of
melancholy or mourning.
Linda
🎄
I love the One Less Gift certificate. As much as I love giving and receiving, you get to a point where you have plenty. There are a couple of friends I get together with for lunch rather than exchange gifts.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, hi! And yes, what could be a better gift than lunch with people you love?! Sure beats a pair of slippers, yes?
DeleteI hope you're enjoying this final week before Christmas. Bless you, friend ...
We may well have had hard times lately, and are not in the mood for celebrating. We may be feeling down. In grief maybe. Wishing to hide until another year is upon us.
ReplyDeleteBut we must celebrate. Put on some decorations and force a smile even. By celebrating we are acknowledging and thanking God for what He has done all those years ago; which we now call Christmas.
God bless.
Victor, thanks for the reminder to focus on the gift of Jesus that God sent to us! May everything else fade in comparison, may we keep our eyes on Him.
DeleteMerry Christmas to you.
Love the certificate --kinda like a get out of jail free card. 😁
ReplyDeleteAnd there's times when that's exactly what we need!
DeleteChristmas brings back so many memories, it can definitely be a bittersweet season. May we all pray for God's help in focusing on the meaning of the season so we can smile and rejoice even amidst the tears.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Linda!
You're right, Martha ... we can only rejoice by His help and lovingkindness. Some things we just can't drum up on our own.
DeleteChristmas blessings to you and your beautiful family. I hope you'll all get to be together. We had too many celebrations apart ...
As a pastor I see this bitter and sweet every year. From those laughing to those weeping. From one who has lost her father just 4 months ago to one who is taking her three children and seeing dad (deployed) in just a day or two. Life is a series of ups and downs. I'm glad I have the Jesus who is not still in the manger but is seated on high.
ReplyDeleteOh life can be so hard. We think we've seen it all. And then tomorrow comes. May God give you an extra portion of spiritual and emotional grace as you minister to your flock.
DeleteThey are blessed to have you, Bill ... and we are blessed to have Jesus seated on high, even as He's nestled in our hearts.
Awesome your post
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Azka!
DeleteLove the description about the shake, "Snowflakes on your tongue." I have ordered the Biblical Womanhood book. Heard so many good things about it. And yes, bittersweet is a great word to describe so many conflicting emotions.
ReplyDeleteYes, let's hear it for snowflakes! Especially when we're curled up in front of a roaring fire with a good book and a warm blanket!
DeleteMerry Christmas, Theresa. I'm so grateful God has brought you into my life this past year. Your work has been powerful and spot-on ... and often necessary. Bless you.
A fitting collection for these days. May your heart be filled with the peace and joy only Christ can give.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you, dear friend. May God bless you with wonderful opportunities and wide open doors as we continue to move ahead, side by side.
DeleteThank you for pouring into my life again this past year.
Oh Linda, your words and the words of others you share, whether in posts or a song, really resonate in my heart. Thank you for your love and understanding "that a peace-fueled joy and untold sorrow are somehow able to mingle well together" and your encouragement to look for the little joys even in the midst of melancholy or mourning. Love and blessings of a peace-fueled joy to you!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, dear Trudy. Thanks for always being a godsend, an encouragement, a blessing to those you connect with. I am so thankful to be one of the recipients of your continued kindness.
DeleteThis post is just what I needed to see. The holiday season is bittersweet for me this year because I'm off for 2 weeks, but we won't get to celebrate with my brother. This is the second year he couldn't come home for Christmas because of the pandemic.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the visit. So glad to hear that my post inspired you to enjoy a cup of tea!
I am so sorry that you'll be separated from your brother yet again, Margie. This is hard stuff for sure. I hope you'll get to connect in some way and that your heart will be filled with comfort and peace.
DeleteThank you for warming my weeks with a cuppa, friend.
Thanks Linda for sending what I needed. I just had a dear friend of over forty years pass away this week. One less gift certificate is perfect. May the joy of knowing Christ fill our hearts with joy!
ReplyDeleteOh Pam. I want to reach through the screen and give you a warm hug. I am so very sorry. May the memories of 40 years together bring you great satisfaction and comfort and may the Lord give you that peace that passes any kind of understanding.
DeletePraying for you right now ...
Thank you. I think it will be a bittersweet Christmas for everyone this year. So many people are losing jobs because of mandates.
ReplyDeleteAmy, yes, there is so much loss, sorrow, fear, and uncertainty. Our hope is only in Christ the solid Rock! Praise God that He's not changing like shifting shadows...
DeleteChristmas blessings to you! I'm thankful that our paths are crossing in this season ... a gift indeed.
Praise God, He is our Foundation-Rock, when the sweet times end, when the bitter times come, AND all the times between. I can't imagine navigating any of it without him!
ReplyDeleteNancy, thank you for drawing me closer to the Savior this year. Your writing has been a faith builder. I'm so grateful that God has allowed us to mingle over our written words.
DeleteBless you this Christmas ... and into the unknown days ahead. All will be well.
Dear Linda! You have comforted my heart yet again. So many hurting hearts this Christmas. So much division and strife. And yet our hearts are all drawn to the most peaceful scene ever lived out here on earth. That precious, holy night - where there were no frills, no demands, no chaos. Just pure truth in its rawest, most simple form. It is what we all crave - HE is who we all crave. I am so thankful for you, dear friend, and for your ever-encouraging, uplifting presence in my life. Sending much love to you this Christmas!
ReplyDeleteCheryl, I appreciate your reminder that when all is said and done, HE is all we crave. No one will ever love us like He does. More than ever, in this season of division and strife, knowing that the Prince of Peace is ours is a strong consolation!
DeleteYou've been a big encouragement to me this year in all the ways you've reached out. Your Homespun Devotions book has become one of my absolute favorite devotional guides.
And now that I've gotten to talk to you, I can hear your words out loud.
Trusting God with you as He directs your steps into the future. You are certainly gifted in many creative ways. I'm kind of excited to see how He's going to use your talents in the days ahead.
Christmas blessings, dear friend.
I love the "One Less Gift" certificate. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I won't be getting the Christmas gift of reconciliation that I'd like, but I still hold space in my heart for love and hope (although I'm running short on hope right now). Hoping you have a sweet Christmas with your loved ones, Linda.
Lisa, God is keeping you on my heart. Every day I'm praying for you and your family. May you feel His comfort and sense the hope He gives as you make your way through this difficult season.
DeleteHe is able.
I love this, Linda! I often tell others, (sometimes to no avail), I do not need one thing. Please pray for me or wish me joy or share your presence as a gift to me, but noting material!
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
You nailed it, girl. We do not need yet another thing, do we. But prayers, a meal together, maybe a little jaunt somewhere? Yes, please!
DeleteMerry Christmas, friend. I'm thinking of you as you do your Christmas shopping this week!
Thanks for a lovely compassionate post. There are so many hurting grieving friends this Christmas. Breaks my heart. Merry Christas, dear Linda!
ReplyDeleteI hear you about the broken hearts, Jean. So grateful that God allows us to listen, care, and comfort.
DeleteBless you, friend ...
Linda … this was such a timely post when I read it before Christmas. And that was before someone got sick and we had to cancel our travel plans and the coming days were unexpectedly restful but also interspersed with tears. As you put it, “He understands.” It frees us up not to understand and be OK with it, doesn’t it? Thanks for including my little post in with all the others. It was kind of last-minute, but I think I need to write it as much or more than anyone else needed to read it. ❤️
ReplyDeleteYep, I absolutely hear you. We had to cancel not one but two trips because of covid. Right now, Tim and I are self-quarantining and we are blessed not to have any symptoms. Other families are not so fortunate. It's epidemic in the northeast.
DeleteCome quickly, Lord Jesus.