As you read from the headline, yes, a week before Christmas I tested positive for COVID. My parents and I decided to have me quarantine for the 10 days at my apartment and celebrate “Christmas” later after my 10 days were up. Which I’m grateful for, but also I was pretty upset and disappointed that I would spend Christmas day alone and that Christmas wouldn’t be the same this year. If I’m being honest, it was hard to shake the belief (read: lie) that I had ruined Christmas.
But in one of my quiet times this week, God sweetly reminded me of another “Christmas” that didn’t go as planned or expected: the first Christmas when Jesus was born. If Mary and Joseph had a choice or could plan, they probably wouldn’t choose to give birth in a stable, unprepared, or lay their baby in a manger. And yet that first Christmas was still filled with so much HOPE, PEACE, and JOY for all who heard.
I think that’s a prophetic reminder to any of us this who will have Christmas celebrations that aren’t what we planned, expected, thought or wanted. If this is you reading this, you’re not alone. I see you, but more importantly, God sees you. Here’s what God showed me—I hope it encourages your weary heart!
There Is Still Hope
When we drill down to what Christmas really is about, it’s about HOPE. It’s when hope came down in the form of a baby in a manger. Luke 2:11-12 says, “‘Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'”
Savior, Messiah, Lord. I think we can all agree that our Savior being born brings unfathomable amounts of hope to our lives and current situations. And to think the part of the story Mary and Joseph didn’t expect or plan for (giving birth in a stable) was to be the sign to us that our Messiah had come! 2000+ years later, there is still hope here and now.
After all, Christmas is a day but hope is forever.
Not to say that celebrating Jesus’ birth on Christmas Day isn’t important—it is! But even if the day this year looks different than we wanted, expected, or hoped, what happened on that day 2000+ years ago and what it means for us has not changed. Hope was born; Hope came down; Hope forever reigns. If your hope is draining, look to the picture of Jesus wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger and let it be a sign to you that there is hope because your Savior has come!
Peace Amidst My Circumstances
Christmas is also about PEACE. In fact, one of the most famous lines is solely about peace. Luke 2:14 says, “‘Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’“
On whom does God’s favor rest? On those who have received God’s grace! (See John 1:12, Ephesians 2:8) So if you’ve received God’s grace for your life, His favor rests on you. And if His favor rests on you, there is peace for you this Christmas season and day. This doesn’t mean you can’t be upset about what this holiday will look like for you, that’s human nature. But it does mean that no matter what your circumstances look like this Christmas, you can and will have abundant peace flowing over you and your life, knowing that God’s favor rests on you.
After all, circumstances don’t change your peace; peace changes your circumstances and how you go about them.
The shepherds’ situation didn’t change that night, but when the angels said those words to them, their demeanors changes and they immediately left their livelihood to find Jesus. Someting that normally would cause anxiety was done restfully because of the peace of the Lord. If your world feels chaotic right now, remind yourself that God’s favor rests upon you which means He is for you, even when your circumstances feel against you. Let this truth fill your heart with peace because God is in control!
Good News of Great Joy
Last, but certainly not least, Christmas is about JOY. In fact, this was the first message the angels gave the shepherds (before hope or peace). Luke 2:10 says, ‘”Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.'”
The good news of Christmas (including everything I wrote before this) will cause great joy—that’s a promise found in God’s Word. The angels didn’t say it would cause great joy only if your situation works out or only if things are going as planned. No, in fact they met the shepherds in their circumstances (which weren’t the best back then) and said ‘Do not be afraid’ because the news they were giving would fill the shepherds with joy.
Not part of the Christmas story, but later in the Bible it says, “Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds…” (James 1:2) If your life is full of trials this Christmas season, it’s simply another opportunity to find the joy in it. Not because your circumstances but amidst them.
After all, your circumstances might not be good, but God is. And the news of Jesus’ birth is very good.
If you’re lacking
Even What The Enemy Means for Evil
If you’re struggling to find or hold onto any of these—hope, peace, joy—just know it’s okay! It’s not easy and some times hearing promises like these can hurt when we feel so far from them. I hope and pray that every person reading this would experience some bits of hope, peace, or joy this Christmas in Jesus’ name. But if you can’t seem to find it, maybe you can hold onto this promise instead:
Genesis 50:20 says, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done.”
Even when the enemy means for evil, God will use it and turn it for your good!
The very first Christmas 2000+ years ago probably didn’t go as expected or planned, and yet it changed the course of humanity and our lives forever. So maybe, just maybe, your Christmas going different than planned, expected, wanted, or hoped, isn’t a sign of failure or defeat or hopelessness, but a sign of God’s faithfulness to bring HOPE, PEACE, and JOY into this world through the birth of a baby in a manger.
Merry Christmas everyone!
