Wow, we are almost at the end of another year. It seems like we were just celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas, and here it is that time again! I sure am not complaining, because I LOVE the holidays. Well, it is official, we are in the holiday season. Yay!!!
Today has been a good day. Had a great day in worship, heard a great message, had a great dinner following church, now I am at home and ready to decorate one of my many trees.
As I thought about the holidays, I think that I mentioned this before, but this time has become for many, a very lonely, sad and depressing time of the year. Many have lost loved ones around the holidays, many are jobless, many are struggling financially. Whatever the case, this is not a happy time for many, and some are not looking forward to the holidays at all.
But, I want to encourage you today, if you are one of those persons who has decided not to celebrate the holidays.There is a scripture that I want to share, that has lots of encouragement for anyone that has decided that they are not going to celebrate this year. It is found in the Book of Nehemiah, the 8th chapter, beginning with the first verse. Its an account of the children of Israel, gathered together with the priests, and leaders of Israel. The people had come together to hear the reading of the Law, God's commandments for the people to live by as God instructed them to. As the people heard the Law, they were grieved and very sad, and even cried, because what they were instructed to do, they could not do in their own power. No matter how good they wanted to live and to keep the law, they just didn't have the power in themselves to do so. (Thank God, that we are not required to keep the Law today, because just like the Israelites, we can't keep it either! Thank God for His Grace! We don't have to struggle to try to keep the Law to obtain God's blessings. We get the blessings, because of Jesus! We don't have to be sad. ) Anyway, back to what this passage is about, the people were sad, depressed, grieving, they even wept. BUT, Nehemiah stood up and commanded the people not to be sad. He told them that this holiday was holy unto God. He instructed them to be happy, not sad, not depressed, not weeping, but REJOICING! He told them to eat the fat, and drink the sweet. In other words, celebrate! Have a feast! Be glad! Party! God does not want us to be mournful, He wants us to rejoice! He further instructs them to share and to prepare portions for those who don't have food to eat! He tells them not to mourn, don't be sorry, for the JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH!
Depend of God's Joy, His Grace, His Love for you, to be your strength! Have Fun, Celebrate! Laugh, Rejoice! Don't be sad. Being sad, or happy and rejoicing, is a choice! You can choose to sit around, sad, depressed, alone; or you can choose to be happy, rejoice!
My mom died in 1987, at age 53. We had her funeral on the day after Thanksgiving. Back then, we were still having, what's called a "wake". For those who are not familiar with the term, it is sitting for a couple of hours either at the funeral home, or a church, with the deceased person, as family and friends come by to pay their respects for the deceased person, and to offer their condolence to the family of the deceased. This was usually held on the night before the actual funeral service. So, in 1987, on Thanksgiving Night, I was sitting in a funeral home, looking at my deceased mom. I am not trying to gross you out, I simply said all of that to make the point that, if I gave into emotions, I would never celebrate Thanksgiving again! Each time the holiday rolled around, I would be sitting around, feeling sorry for myself, and making my family sad, taking from their joy and celebration. I can choose to be sad and think about her and her funeral every time that Thanksgiving rolls around, but I'm not going to do that. She wouldn't want me to. I have a family here that loves me, that I love. Depression, being sad, sorrowful, that's a choice! One chooses to be depressed, sad, discouraged! I know that I have probably made some people mad by saying that, but it's true! We can choose not to be sad, depressed. Why would I be so selfish, and ruin everybody's holiday, just because I want to feel sorry for myself and be depressed? No way! It's not about me! It's about realizing how much God loves us, how much He cares about us. He even wants us to enjoy the holidays, and if we depend on Him, it can be a great holiday. If you need food to cook a feast ask God for it. If you need money to buy gifts, ask God for it. If you need to be with someone and you don't want to be alone, ask God to make it possible to be invited to celebrate with someone, or cause someone to come and celebrate with you. God cares for you. You can ask Him anything! Get the decorations out. Put up a tree, a wreath, play some holiday music, cook a feast and invite someone over. Whatever you choose to do, REJOICE!
THE JOY OF THE LORD, IS YOUR STRENGTH!
~Gayle
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