December 7

"Celebrating the Season Whatever Your Circumstances" Psalm 126:4-6

No Christmas This Year
We won’t have a Christmas this year, you say
For now the children have all gone away
And the house is so lonely, so quiet so bare
We couldn’t have a Christmas that they didn’t share.

We won’t have a Christmas this year, you sigh,
For Christmas means things that money must buy.
Misfortunes and illness have robbed us we fear
Of the things that we’d need to make Christmas this year.

We won’t have a Christmas this year you weep
For a loved one is gone, and our grief is too deep.
It will be a long time before our hearts heal,
And the spirit of Christmas again we can feel.

But if you lose Christmas when troubles befall,
You never have really had Christmas at all.
For once you have had it; it cannot depart
When you learn that true Christmas is Christ in your heart. (Author unknown)
Our joy is a spiritual reality anchored in Jesus, not in external circumstances. That’s why you can have joy even when your world is falling apart, even when Christmas is far from what you want it to be.

We can be joyful when our restoration is far from complete. Jesus is the foundation for our joy. As long as we have Jesus in our life, no one can rob us of the joy He provides. When we feel depressed struggling with our problems, we can turn to Him and ask for His help. He will give us what we need to have JOY IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE.

So whatever circumstances you are in at this Christmas season, REJOICE even in PARTIAL restoration. Thank the Lord for what He IS doing for you even if it is not complete. Have faith and confidence for the future. Ask the Lord for what you need. Let His joy come to you as you give him your burdens and anxiety. Don’t wait for God to do it all. Move into an attitude of joy by doing what you can do in “this day”, because the Lord made it for us to rejoice and be glad in. Celebrate the Season Whatever Your Circumstances and grace and mercy will follow you.

Blessings!
Shaun Estrada