It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Do you agree with the lyrics to this popular Christmas tune? For some it truly is the most wonderful time. It is a wonderful time of family coming together. It is a wonderful time of gathering with friends to celebrate. For others, it can be the most painful time of the year. For those who have lost a loved one in the past year, it is painful. For those who are estranged from family, it is painful. For those who are full of anxiety or stress because of marriage, career, or money, this can be an incredibly painful time of year. Part of the reason this time of year brings more stress than any other is because there is a sort of cultural expectation that we should be more happy, more merry, or more joyful now than during other times of the year.

So how about you? Is it the most wonderful time of the year, or is it more like the opposite of that? The strongest memories of Christmas from my childhood involve stress over money. Those memories were so strong that from my college years up until our first child came along, nearly the only Christmas music I would listen to was Gregorian Chant. I wanted to celebrate what I called “a dark and quiet Christmas.” That all changed with our daughter, though. At first I was not really in favor of change. I was ready to teach her from birth to celebrate Christmas with Gregorian Chant. (Looking back I marvel at the patience my wife, Gina, has had with me.) Seeing our daughter, and then later our son, come into the world with wide-eyed wonder made me realize something. The pain in my heart was real, but my children didn’t possess any of it. I could either pass it down to them as a Christmas heirloom as they watched my “dark and quiet Christmas” or I could look for healing for my heart.

This past week in Foundations, our guest speaker Harriet Warf, a licensed professional counselor with Journey Counseling Ministries, reminded us of this truth from Psalm 55:22 (loosely quoted by the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 5:7): Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you. For me, healing has been taking place over the course of years as I bring my pain to the Lord each time it comes to mind. Through His Word, through His Spirit, through His church, and through godly counselors like Harriet, I have been reminded that my pain does not define me. No, I am defined by my adoption into Christ. I am a child of the King (Ephesians 1:5), a co-heir with Christ (Romans 8:16-17) to all the riches of God (Philippians 4:19). I am united to the One who suffered and died an unjust death, so that I might never taste that ultimate pain (Romans 6:5). I have the Holy Spirit who helps me cast my anxiety on the Lord praying in words and in groans that words sometimes cannot express (Romans 8:26).

With a 10 year-old who loves listening to the “all-Christmas-music-all-the-time” station on the radio, and an almost 8 year-old who can read aloud our Jesse Tree Advent devotional each evening, I can say that Christmas has changed for me. I still take time to listen to my Gregorian Chant, and those painful memories from growing up are still real. But understanding who I am in Christ has given me power to live beyond pain. I am always growing in my ability to see beyond my hurt to the horizon of joy. One common saying of the season is, “Wise men still seek Him.” This is true of us when we cast our burden on the Lord, and then with the wise men we can also rejoice with exceeding great joy (Matthew 2:10).

In Him,

Tag