For some, Christmastime is not a happy time. Is that you? Every once in a while, our prickly situations can threaten to rob us of hope. Mary and Joseph experienced a very prickly situation that put them on a road they never expected to travel. Let’s take a journey back to the first Christmas and discover how to find hope in your prickly Christmas story.
NOTE: For your convenience, I’ve recorded an audio version of this post. Just click on the slider below to listen. Don’t forget to page down to the end of the post for a free download just for you.
Finding Hope in the First Prickly Christmas Story
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the family stayed on for some time, perhaps 1 or 2 years. During that time, some wise men, called Magi, came to town. They were very intelligent, well-read, wealthy and influential. They believed a King was to be born in Bethlehem at that time, and they followed astrological signs to lead them to the baby.
Herod was the King in Israel then, and when he heard about the wise men, he asked them to share their news with him. Herod was alarmed to hear them use the term “king” with respect to this Hebrew baby. He was very insecure, and felt threatened by the thought he might have a rival.
Herod decided he would put the baby to death, and nip any rivalry in the bud.
God had other plans, however. There was no way this baby was going to die before his time! God sent an angel to Joseph in the middle of the night. The angel instructed Joseph to wake up his family and escape to Egypt right away, in the dead of night.
He might have said something like this, “Joseph, wake up! Some men are on their way to kill your baby. Pack up the Pampers, grab what formula you have and get Jesus in the stroller. Run for your lives!”
When Herod discovered he had been duped and the baby was gone, he was enraged. He slaughtered all the baby boys in Bethlehem under the age of 2.
Imagine what this was like for Mary and Joseph. They had just experienced the incredible visit by wise men from the east. These men were powerful Kings, wealthy beyond belief. They followed stars in the night sky to find this little family.
The wise men not only visited and worshipped Jesus but they brought priceless gifts as well.
- Gold, symbolizing deity or kingship
- Frankincense, symbolizing holiness or priesthood
- And the odd gift of Myrrh, symbolizing death
Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, they go from the mountaintop to the valley, and find themselves on a road they never expected to travel. They were in exile. Mary and Joseph were undoubtedly in shock, they were fearful, they were grieved. As they ran for their lives from Bethlehem, did they hear the mourning and screams of the bereaved mothers behind them? Did they wonder if the odd gift of Myrrh was going to be needed sooner rather than later?
Mary and Joseph stayed in Egypt, in exile, until Herod died. They were part of a large population of transplanted Hebrews. They had support and companionship. They had finances, provided providentially by the wise men. And they had their God, the God of hope. Yet they were still in exile, waiting for that day when it would be safe to go back home.
My Prickly Christmas Story
Do you feel as if you are in exile this Christmas? Are you on a road you never expected to travel? Maybe you are not in exile, but you know someone who is.
I experienced a road I never expected to travel twenty years ago.
I had recently made the decision to follow Christ and accept salvation. We were attending a great Bible based church as we lived as ex-patriots in Luxembourg. My husband received this plum assignment from his company. We decided while we lived in Europe, we would visit Israel.
We arrived late on Good Friday. Saturday we walked all day long in the old city of Jerusalem. It was like walking around on a movie set. We saw all the famous sites: the wailing wall, the temple mount where the temple sat when Jesus was there. Israel is surrounded by a thick wall, and we walked on top of that wall, which was wide enough for all four of us to walk abreast.
On Sunday we celebrated Easter at a sunrise service in an ancient walled garden on the outskirts of town. Carved into that wall is an ancient grave similar to the one where Jesus might have been buried. Later that day we had friends visit us from Tel Aviv. Our kids all swam in the pool together.
We went to bed that night just dreaming of the great sights we would see the next day.
Very early Monday morning, before the sun rose, before we got up, the phone rang in our hotel room. It was my brother-in-law, calling from Michigan to let us know my Dad, after a long battle with depression, had taken his life.
Immediately I felt my heart pounding so fast I thought it would jump out of my chest. I got sick to my stomach. I had a searing pain encircling my body. We made a call and realized we needed to get packed and to the airport immediately. Literally we tossed our belongings into suitcases, threw on some clothes and left.
Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, I was on a road I never expected to travel. IN a place I never dreamed I would be.
That first Christmas without my Dad was horrible. Nothing felt the same. It was as if I were in exile. Because of my Dad’s suicide, my husband cut his work assignment in Luxembourg short. We took our kids out of school mid-year, and we returned home. This wasn’t the place we expected to be.
Those who grieve at Christmas often have a very painful time. Everything feels different. We are forced to live in impossible situations, as if we were in exile from where we belong. The world around us is merry and jolly and we have no interest or even feel guilty celebrating.
“We are told that Christmas, for Christians, should be the happiest time of year, an opportunity to be joyful and grateful with family, friends and colleagues. Yet, according to the National Institute of Health, Christmas is the time of year that people experience a high incidence of depression. Hospitals and police forces report high incidences of suicide and attempted suicide. Psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health professionals report a significant increase in patients complaining about depression.” Read more about depression at Christmastime here…
Those who grieve at Christmastime often struggle to have hope.
How to Find Hope in Your Prickly Christmas Story
I want to encourage you with the hope that only God can offer.
“Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:15-16 NIV).
If you follow God, you are a God-tattoo. He can never forget you. And he will never have tattoo-regret.
“I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.” You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear”” (Lamentations 3:55-57 NIV).
God’s got super-sonic hearing. No matter how deep your pit or how feeble your voice, he will hear you.
Maybe you find yourself on a road you never expected to travel this Christmas. If you’ve lost a loved one, or have other struggles with marriage, children, finances or health, Christmas can feel like a hopeless time for you. It seems as if you are the only one not celebrating. But you are not alone! One survey found 45% of North Americans dreaded the festive season.
If you feel that all doors to hope have closed, let me encourage you to open the door to Christ. “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in” (Revelation 3:20 NIV).
Coming to God for me is like being in a hotel room that has an adjoining door to the next room. You know the kind, right? There are two doors, one in each room, mounted back to back. The doors only have one door knob. In order to see the person next door, both occupants have to open their door. If only one person opens the door, all they will see is the other closed door with no doorknob.
Imagine you are in a room like that. There is no window and no door to the corridor. There is only that one door leading to the next room. Everyone keeps telling you to open the door to Jesus. But you are afraid.
I was like that. I had no idea what to expect on the other side. Could I really believe all I heard about Jesus was true? I thought I could somehow make myself experience the joy, the peace, and the hope I needed to get through life. But I wasn’t getting anywhere. I tried hard to do things right. But somehow my life lacked those qualities I needed most.
Finally one day, I decided to open that door. I was at the end of my rope. I had nowhere else to go.
Do you know what I found? I found Jesus had already opened his door. It had been standing open all along. He was just waiting for me to open my door. I took a peek inside his room. And guess what? It was a palace!
I’ve never regretted that decision to open the door to Jesus. I only regret it took me so long. What on earth was I waiting for?
The Bible speaks about hope as being an anchor for the soul. I love that analogy. When there’s a storm at sea, they put down the anchor, hunker down, and wait out the storm. The anchor keeps them safe.
When there’s a storm in my life, I cling to my anchor, hunker down, and wait out the storm.
If you are in the middle of a storm in your life, it’s ok to hunker down and wait it out. It’s ok to change traditions, or just skip Christmas this year. It’s ok not to be jolly and merry. Be kind to yourself, don’t feel guilty. Allow yourself time to grieve.
Just don’t let go of your Anchor.
[Tweet “Dreading #Christmas? Grab onto our Anchor, Jesus. Hunker down, and wait out the storm.”]
Erma Bombeck wrote, “There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt.” Realize that your pain, tragedy and hurt are not going to last forever. We have a Savior who promises to bring laughter and humor back into our lives.
As a gift to you this Christmas, I would like to offer you a Guided Meditation called At the River with Jesus. It contains a list of all the human emotional needs, along with Scripture verses that show how God meets those needs. I encourage you to take time every day during the holidays to spend time with Jesus at the River. Imagine you are sitting next to him at the River of Life, dangling your feet in the cool water, listening to the gurgling sounds, seeing the sun-dappled water. Turn to him and tell him about your pain, your hurt, your struggle. Ask him for what you need.
See him smile, reach out his hands and wipe away your tears, and say, “Of course, it’s yours. I was just waiting for you to ask.” Click At the River with Jesus to download this free resource.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NIV).
I pray each and every one of you will have a hope-filled Christmas.
…because U count, deb