A Not So Merry Christmas
“Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5: 4
Merry Christmas! Not for all.
The following is posted on behalf of those who have experienceD a loss. A death, divorce, job loss, a dream that dies, a failed hope, a frustrated ambition, a defeat of major proportions. All have a tendency to stun and shock us.
These are thieves that rob us of anything approximating being merry.
It is not a bah humbug loss of “merry.” It is seemingly being forcibly stripped of it. It is like a lovely balloon that has been deflated.
Perhaps your loss of “merry” is so great it may seemingly leave you with a “I can’t go on” or even taken out the back door your will to live.
The loss of “merry” may even cause a disappointment in God. God is always good. Things aren’t. Don’t confuse the two. If the loss of “merry” causes disappointment in God, the grief goblins have won. Don’t let it go that far.
The Greek word for mourning, pentheo, means a grief that consumes the whole person. Christ is a spiritual seismograph, sensing the needs of His subjects. He knew mourning was inescapable. His intent is to give it meaning and purpose. God takes no pleasure in our pain. He will take a part.
To mourn is natural. It is not optional. Our response is optional. Sorrow with a purging purpose is profitable. It is mourning with a meaning.
Mourning is sober judgment. It prompts people to weigh values. It reveals one’s true character. The blackest of velvet is used to display the rarest of diamonds. This speaks of those who have not realized and acknowledged their spiritual poverty. Sorrow in life is inevitable. What we sorrow over is what matters.
Mourning is a corrective of a condition. It is essential to recovery from an adverse condition. To mourn is natural. It is not optional. Our response is optional.
The word “comforted” comes from two parts: “com” meaning together with and “fort” meaning strength. Christ shares His strength and together with Him we become strong.
“Merry” is a variable. No emotion can be maintained indefinitely. That means your loss of “merry” will eventually be revived. “Merry” seems a distant memory. It has been dealt a stunning blow.
There have been times most of us have sung:
“Shackled by a heavy burden ‘Neath a load of guilt and shame
Then the hand of Jesus touched me And now I am no longer the same.
He touched me, oh, He touched me And oh, the joy that floods my soul!
Something happened, and now I know He touched me, and made me whole
Since I’ve met this blessed Savior Since He’s cleansed and made me whole.
Oh, I will never cease to praise Him ….”
To regain emotional equilibrium start by praising God even for little things.