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Christmas again. There was a time when I dreaded Christmas. Over a decade of pit in the stomach angst. My joy that everyone told me I should have was nowhere to be found. I shut down in social settings. Checked out while everyone else was having a great time.
Inside, a voice kept telling me, “But you David, aren’t allowed to celebrate. You can’t. The weight of your sorrow is heaviest this time of the year.”
And why exactly in December?
How about grieving my mom’s death on December 23rd? Being called by my dad that he couldn’t get Mom to wake up. Sandy and I heading to their house, following the EMS team on that snowy Sunday.
“We can’t revive her. She’s gone.”
Dad was beside himself.
We called the funeral home.
The police officer stayed for a while while Mom lay on the floor.
The woman who birthed me. She was barely 21 back then. She loved Jesus. Put up with my adolescent antics. My bouts of discouragement, my dream of becoming an architect (which I did!).
Did you know that rigor mortis starts to set in within an hour of dying? Helping the funeral director place Mom on the gurney reminded me of that.
If you’ve read this far you are probably asking…
“Who writes and posts stuff like this on Christmas Day?”
I was wondering the same thing, until…
Until I realized not everyone on the planet experiences a holly jolly Christmas. That hope is real and in short supply in some homes. That the ache of losing a loved one, especially at Christmas extenuates the pain.
That what I needed that Christmas and every Christmas since is an arm around my shoulder, a quiet smile, and some simple yet profound words…
“I love you, David.”
It took about a decade of grieving each December until a wise counselor said something that switched my entire outlook.
“The very Jesus we celebrate at Christmas received my Mom at Christmas, free of cancer! Eternally alive!”
Perhaps you are surrounded by loving friends and family. Life is going very well. Or you are alone this Christmas. No one to celebrate with. It’s easy to let that get to you, but can I say with a sincere heart of compassion…
God’s kindness is shown in the presence of his Son, Jesus.
He is here. As alive as before He created the universe. As alive as the day he was born a babe. As alive as the day He resurrected from the dead. And by trusting in Him, your eternity is secure.
So is mine.
And that is what Christmas is all about!
Warrior On!
David Riffel is the Founder and Executive Director of www.Mentoring-Warriors.com. Having gone through his warrior years (18-30) essentially without a mentor, God has placed in him a heart for warriors, to come alongside them in various ways as they figure out life. David’s newly released book, Mentoring Warriors: Coming Alongside Young Men 18-30, outlines principles for mentoring and gives advice for warriors in six key areas of life: self-management, life skills, education/career, relationships, faith, and identity.
