Home Alone For Christmas?

December is here once again and many of us are looking forward to Christmas—Planning, parties, presents, packages, special meals, sending cards, baking cookies, and the list goes on. For many years Christmas may have been hectic for some people — more shopping, more rushing, planning for family get togethers, lots of baking and cooking more than usual. But this year is different. COVID-19 has made this year a hard year for so many. It is a sad year for many. But I want to encourage you to keep the true Spirit of Christmas alive in you.

I heard a song many years ago sung by Sandi Patty called Merry Christmas with Love:

She leaned her head on the window
Watching evergreen bend in the snow
Remembering Christmas the way it had been
So many seasons ago
When the children would reach for their stockings
And open the presents they found
The lights on the tree would shine bright in their eyes
Reflecting the love all around
But this year there’s no one to open the gifts
No reason for trimming the tree
And just as a tear made its way to the floor
She heard voices outside start to sing

Merry Christmas to all who may dwell here
Merry Christmas if even just one
May the joy of the season surround you
Merry Christmas with love

The carolers sang as she opened the door
Faces of friends in the crowd
And all of the shadows of lonely reminders
Were driven away by the sound
Now the heart that for years had been silent
Was suddenly filled with a song
As she clung to their hands like a child in the night
She found herself singing along

Merry Christmas to all who may dwell here
Merry Christmas if even just one
May the joy of the season surround you
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to all who may dwell here
Merry Christmas if even just one
May the joy of the season surround you
Merry Christmas with love

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Smiley Billy Lee / Davis Greg Wayne
Merry Christmas With Love lyrics
© New Spring Publishing Inc, New Spring Publishing, Inc.

As I listened to that song so many years ago now, I had at that time only had Christmas celebrations with my family: My father, mother, and eventually 4 sisters; and as we grew boyfriends and brothers-in-law were added to the mix. My favorite part was not the gifts, it was not Santa Claus, and, even though I am a Christian, my favorite part was not reading the story of Jesus being born in a manger. My favorite part of Christmas was everyone in the kitchen cooking and preparing the Christmas meal together. My dad would cook homemade pies and stuffing from scratch. My mom would prepare the turkey and side dishes. And all of us children would help with setting the table and making the relish tray filled with pickles, olives and such. Christmas was a time of family gatherings together all united together for one purpose and one project—Christmas dinner. Family—It’s a great feeling at Christmas time to all be together.

So, when I listened to that song about “Merry Christmas if even just one” I was shocked to realize that some people cannot celebrate with family. Maybe the kids have grown and gone and are celebrating with their own families. Maybe for another reason or another families cannot join together. “Wow!! That really happens?” I thought. What a tragic thought I had back then. When we are children, we think everyone has the same experiences because that is all we have ever known. I thought everyone gathered in the kitchen and cooked a great meal together. I thought everyone joined in Christmas morning to open gifts. This song was an awakening to me.

Well, this Christmas may be different to a lot of people because of COVID-19. But this year, let us remember the true Spirit of Christmas. Let us remember that Christ left His Father. He left His home. He travelled to earth to be with us and show us the way to the Heavenly Father. So as some of us may not be able to go home this year, as some of us may be alone and/or unable to celebrate as we desire due to sickness, poverty, or loneliness, let us remember Jesus, too, left His father and felt alone in a world far different from the Paradise He had known.

So, Merry CHRISTmas to all. Even if it is just one. Have a great Christmas season and remember the reason for the season.

Release The Pain

Silent Rain

SOFT RAIN FALLS

The Gentle drops of silent rain
Fall upon the golden grain;
The tranquil peace,
The sweet release
Of stress and pain,
This silent rain.

The quiet whisper in the wind
Pursues the children once again.
"Come to me
Rest and eat,"
Says this wind.

Glorious rays of the rising sun
tell us morning has begun.
Joy and praise
Fill this place
We've overcome
Says the sun. 

by Terri Byars

All right reserved. If this is shared in any way 
it must include my name, Terri Byars, as the poet.
And WordPress as the location from which it was obtained.

A NEW MORNING HAS BEGUN

Through both poetic and musical verse people have been known to express great emotion. And those of us who listen to the words and/or music have a chance to release our emotions. It helps us come to acknowledge or get in touch with our feelings. The poem I wrote above is symbolic and if anyone would care to input any thoughts, I would love to hear what you think. You can share how it makes you feel, and what you believe the poem means.

Our Problems Disappear

We all need a place to escape sometimes.  For some of us it is a soccer game, as in this picture here.  For others it is something a little (or a lot) more destructive, such as alcohol, drugs, gambling, and the list goes on.  

What are we escaping from?

We escape from  work, family problems, financial problems, heartache, health problems, etc.  Problems are many times the focus of our attention because we are drawn to what hurts at the moment.  It’s like when we stub out little toe; we grab our toe and moan until the pain subsides.  Likewise, most of us focus on our problems or pain until it goes away.

What is the real problem?

The real problem is not work, the family, finances, heartache, or heath, etc.  It is our focus.  What is our focus.  I have found that the more I focus on myself, the more problems I seem to have.  I am always concerned about what I want, how I feel; and I complain about what is not perfect and who is not doing what I want.  

Change of focus

So where should our focus be?  Many times in my life I have felt my focus being pulled away from my own problems when I see another bigger problem out there somewhere.  Out in the world, in my community, or among my friends.  When I see a catastrophe like war, tsunamis, or poverty  or when I see a friend get evicted from their home or someone I know loses a family member, that is when my problems seem to disappear.  In the light of major catastrophes or serious problems all around me, my problems seems to be a trivial matter.  So the problem is not my situation.  It is my focus.  It is my response to my problems.  Do I sit and sulk?  Do I worry and complain?  Do I have a pity party and wonder when I will get my way, when my kids will finally behave, when my bills will ever get paid?  If so, I end up worrying and becoming depressed.  However….

 Focus on Jesus

If I focus on Jesus, first of all, I know He has the answer and with Him I can get through the problem.  My problem may not actually disappear, but I do not worry about it because “Papa” will take care of it and see me through it.

Focus on others

Prayer is a wonderful thing.  When I pray for myself, I can focus on Jesus and know he has my problems in His hands and will fix everything until I feel okay again. When I pray for others, I get my focus off of myself and realize that I am not alone in my battles, pain, and heartaches.  

When I see what is happening in the world I still know that God is sovereign and is not up there wringing his hands wondering what to do.  He has it all under control. Sure, He gave some authority to us and commanded us to take charge of things on Earth, but He is there to help us if we ask Him.  

JOY

I once heard the definition of Joy as Jesus Others Yourself.  That is what our focus should be.  Jesus first, others second, and ourselves last.  We are here to Worship God.  That is our primary focus.  Then we are also here to love others.  Sometimes our focus should be on them more than ourselves.  Philippians 2:3 says, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.”  We should thing of others needs.  Although we should not neglect ourselves, we should just realize that when we put others first at times, our problems seem smaller or even non existent as we focus on something else.

Look at the stars

Happiness is always there. You just have to choose to see it. There’s no point dwelling in the dark and ignoring the light of the stars.  Carrie Hope Fletcher

I love this quote I found online.  I believe this to the very core of my being.  There is light!

Looking around at the world today and all that is happening in the news, we will notice a lot of bad; there is a lot of hatred, sorrow, terrorism, etc.  We will notice people who don’t care any more.  There is more financial stress, more destruction, and more illness, and the list goes on. Many people can grow cold and uncaring or just become immune to all the evil in the world.  What was once devastating or shocking to society years ago will be acceptable or ‘normal’ today.  Take divorce for example.  It is very commonplace today, but a couple hundred years ago, if someone were to say they were getting divorced, they would probably be either shamed or pitied greatly.  Now it is much more acceptable.

In a world growing cold, immoral, or uncaring I can find myself becoming judgmental.  It’s just not the way it used to be.  More and more of what is acceptable now was immoral 50 years ago.  It is very easy to focus on what is bad in the world.  The news, for example has mostly stories of terrorism, war, and crime with only a short human interest story at the end.  There is a way I’ve learned to stop being so sorrowful and disappointed concerning the world system.

Look at the stars

The more darkness there is, the more stars I can see.  I can go out to the country and see an image such as the one here.  A  multitude of stars in space.  There is darkness all around, but so many stars to enjoy.  If I keep my head up instead of down, I can see more light instead of darkness.

In the city, with all the lights, buildings, and cars, there is much less light in the sky.  It’s easy for me to be so distracted by the action, people, and things around me that I no longer see the stars.  The world is in the way.  Even when I do look up, the stars are much less noticeable.  Most of them are dimmed in the midst of the lights of the world.

Look to God

These two verses say it all.  “God is light. In Him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5.  and “Set your mind on thing above.”  Colossians 3:2.  If I keep looking up, if I look at the stars in the night sky instead of the darkness itself, I can see light.  There is still good in the world.  There is still happiness. God is teaching me not be so negative.  Do not see the glass half empty.  Do not look only to the faults in the world.  See the small points of light in the midst of darkness.  Focus on the positive.

Like Carrie Hope Fletcher said, “Happiness is always there. You just have to choose to see it. There’s no point dwelling in the dark and ignoring the light of the stars.”  See link above for more information on Carrie Hope Fletcher.