Christmas Contrast

It seems like such an unfair contrast.

Christmas time is a time of celebration and rejoicing for the newborn king. Yesterday my family and I were pleased to be a part of a small celebration, “A Birthday Party for Jesus”. Preschoolers gathered to decorate and devour birthday cakes for Jesus and then attend a puppet show/dramatic depiction of the Christmas story. There was giggling and excitement as the little ones enjoyed the sights and sounds, and celebrated the reason for the season.

In stark contrast, my heart is heavy with the struggles and pain and sorrow of so many friends. It’s four in the morning so the best I can do is pray for my friend who leaves on Wednesday to be with her brother as he endures his final cancer treatments. I am awed by the faith of a friend taking her husband for heart surgery in a few hours. She is so steadfast and sure in her trust in the Lord. May He be her comfort in the waiting room and her husband’s healer during his recovery. I cry out to Jesus for a dear friend chasing after the details of life, struggling to keep all the balls in the air. She is overwhelmed with the pain her husband is feeling and unsure where she should be. I pray for a family swept up in a whirlwind of Christmas activity. In their exhaustion, where is their joy? God grant them the peace of an afternoon together, in one spot, doing nothing but holding down the sofa.

A quick check of the weather reveals it is -11 degrees outside. Where do the cold and homeless turn on a night like this? Who will be Jesus? Who will provide comfort and warmth to those who need it so much?

Mother Teresa said, “There are thousands of people who would love to have what we have, yet God has chosen us to be where we are today to share the joy of loving others”. I may not possess the ability to stop cancer or mend a broken heart, yet I do the simple little things that I can. I give what I can, and then give a little more. I can’t turn up the thermostat in the Midwest but I can drop off a hat and mittens for those in need. I can reach out, show I care and listen with a compassionate heart. I can roll up my sleeves and lend a hand without being asked.

What can you do?