Advent 2022 - Ponder CONTRAST

Contrast: The state of being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close association.

This season demonstrates great contrast. Last weekend I was on a 4-day mini trip away with my sister. We were immersed in Hallmark-movie-worthy Christmas activities, decor, atmosphere, and mood. Contrast that with now. Just in my family and extended family alone, we have health conditions (including ER visits), ongoing auto-immune flareups, busy schedules, mental health battles, struggles with aging, court battles, tweens, and teens that are more interested in phones and their rooms than fun Christmas activities, bills larger than income, job struggles, devastating diagnoses and Just because the calendar reads December, doesn't mean that all of the struggles stop. Joyful music, happy decorations, parties, and special events can be depressing. I have friends who lost loved ones this year, so they face a new normal this season. Regardless of our blessings, struggles and difficulties often take center stage.

I have heard friends say, "Oh, I don't decorate anymore. No small children and no one coming to visit, so putting up all of the decorations and the trouble aren't worth it". I will always decorate. I do it for me. Even when the memories of past holidays are sad from longing, or those around me aren't interested in the silly things I enjoy, I do it anyway. I listen to the songs, I cry a bit sometimes, yet I play them anyway. Deep inside, it is all a connection with how things were and how I hope things will be again. Christmas does that for me. It takes the contrast and brings it all together. The messy, sad, happy, joyful, and nostalgic moments are all part of advent for me. 

So how do I handle the contrast between "Have yourself a merry little Christmas" and "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen"? Like this:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 NLT

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33 NLT

As I sit and look at my beautifully decorated tree and fondly remember Christmases past, I also know that in those Christmases past, there were struggles too. The fond memories are what last. So I will continue to celebrate, look at the contrasts and focus on Jesus, who doesn't change. I will pray with my trusted friends, those to whom I can show my sorrow. And I will always have hope.

Challenge: Look at the contrasts in your life and ponder how you handle them. How do you handle the challenges and joys of the season? Take a few moments today to ponder contrasts.

Prayer: Father God, help me to keep my eyes on You as the season progresses. Help me look beyond the happy and the sad and rely on the steadiness of my faith in Jesus. Help me remember that Jesus is the same, and he will be my strength. In his name, I pray. Amen.