Life is messy and sometimes that mess dives headfirst into the middle of our holiday season. Instead of joyfully welcoming a Merry Christmas we find ourselves plodding toward a Messy Christmas.
There are plenty of situations capable of turning our happy holidays into days of dread. Think about the single parent struggling with finances and loneliness while trying to fit his or her family into celebrations that often favor a unit with two parents. Perhaps it is a lonely bachelor or bachelorette, or a grieving heart profoundly missing a now absent loved one.
It could be an older couple adjusting to an empty nest Christmas while the young couple next door is unsuccessful at filling their home with the magic of children.
Finances, the pressure of delivering the perfect Christmas, the scary uncertainty of health issues, anxiety, the true message of Christmas lost in all the holiday hype, and judgment from investing too much (or too little) time, energy, and money toward Christmas prep are just a few of the things that plague many people. How about the pressure many face during family gatherings? The Messy List is beyond exhaustive, but it is a good reminder that the struggle between “Merry” and “Messy” is real.
Are you stressed by mess? It happens to all of us, and I wish I had the answer to make it all go away, but alas I don’t. No one does. However, I do know this: The Prince of Peace whose birth we celebrate this time of year understands our aching hearts. He hurts with us when we are gripped in the clutches of mess.
Jesus understands because He had His own mess to deal with when he walked among mankind during His ministry so many years ago. His divine back bore the burden of grief, loneliness, and rejection, yet His divine feet carried Him forward despite it all.
A Facebook friend recently posted a Messy story. With Angela Davis Schaefers’ permission, here is what she shared:
A young man at the airport today did not have an ‘approved’ pet carrier to get on his flight…United Airlines sells them but he didn’t have the money to buy one and was moving back home, leaving an abusive relationship. If he didn’t get on his flight he would be homeless. He would not leave without his dog.
When I saw him sitting outside the airport crying and shivering in this freezing weather I knew something had to be done! United employees and I pitched in money to buy his carrier-American Airlines re-booked his flight so he wasn’t charged any fees and could still leave today.
And this is what love is all about…coming together to help a fellow human being out.
Talk about Messy, but, how about those deeds of love! Jesus in action through the helping hands of others. It isn’t my intention to glorify difficult times, however without that need there was no reason for that good deed. This young man faced an ugly box of reality wrapped in hopelessness . . . certainly not a package anyone would be eager to open. However, an amazing gift presented by a stranger and two airlines was filled with hope and a one-way ticket from Messy to Merry for a man and his dog.
What side of Christmas do you face this year . . . Merry or Messy? Whichever it is, focus on Jesus. He is the reason we even have Christmas. But, get this, even He was born into a mess: unwed parents, a very pregnant woman traveling on the back of a donkey, and born in a barn! Jesus, the gift of Christmas, was wrapped in community scorn, inconvenient national policy (the census), and tumultuous travel plans, but, oh the Glory that was born that holy night.
Whether you are Merry or Messy this year, focus on Jesus and think about these things:
- If you are Merry you might be that precious gift that meets a need. If so, do the deed.
- If you are Messy, don’t be surprised if you find a divine gift revealing itself from among the unattractive wrapping of your personal struggles. The gift may be in tangible form from someone, or it could be a glorious change of heart or mind that brightens your perspective and provides the peace of the season.
- Also, if you are Messy, you never know when YOU might be the deed that meets a need. You could easily be the one who turns someone’s Messy Christmas into a Merry Christmas. Look for opportunity.
Don’t be afraid to give the gift of love and be a deed that meets a need. And, for those of us who find it hard to accept gifts, eagerly accept the presents offered to you… sometimes gift giving is the deed that changes the givers Christmas from Messy to Merry. Like Jesus, despite the burden breaking your back this season, let your feet carry forward into celebrating Jesus. Amazing things will follow if our focus is on that Baby who was gloriously born in the midst of His own mess.
From the FGGAM family to you and yours, we wish peace and love for all the Merry and Messy Christmases out there!!
©2016 Shona Neff