Many of us love the holidays. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s give us about six weeks of gratitude, family, food, friends, and new beginnings. There is so much to celebrate. We love the crisp air (if we are lucky) and the time to reflect on the year that has past. We see people near and far giving sacrificially for others, volunteering for others, considering the needs of others. For many of us the holidays seem to overflow with blessing, reminders of our best selves and how God is indeed working in us and in our world.
For others of us, the holidays seem almost unbearable. Six weeks of frenetic living, overwhelming consumerism, family drama, and continued reminders of family and friends who are not at the table. Once again our paycheck ran out before the month did, family members aren’t speaking to each other, and there are so many little things we miss about our loved ones who are gone. For us, the holidays are some of the darkest times of the year, a reminder that God’s work in us and our world is far from complete.
