Merry Christmas! That’s right, not just Christmas, but our annual
hope and public proclamation is that it will be “merry”. This age-old greeting
reminds us that our expectation for the holiday isn’t to be mediocre or average
but happy and “holly jolly” and filled with exceeding joy…..
Geez! Just typing it is exhausting. Each year, there are
many people who don’t experience the holiday this way, however, this year I seemed to have heard from many
more people than usual that it’s been particularly hard to get in the “Christmas
spirit.”I have to admit, this year has been difficult for me as well.
Because I practice my spirituality in the tradition of
liturgical Christianity, this time of the year isn’t as much about Christmas as
it is about Advent. Advent is the beginning
of the traditional Christian calendar and a time when we emphasize the
spiritual practice of waiting, the spiritual gift of patience and the spiritual
reality of the Divine being birthed, not only within Mary the mother of Jesus,
but within each of us as well.
Yes, the birth of Jesus is thought to be a beautiful, holy
and joyous occasion, however the time before Jesus’ birth was actually uncertain,
anxious and even scary. From the terrifying declaration of the Angel to Mary,
to the uncertainty of Jesus’ birth (remember, they were essentially homeless at
the time) to the decree from Herod to have all of the male babies and toddlers
killed, thus causing the young Jesus and his parents to flee (as refugees, no
doubt) to Africa to escape his murderous rampage. Now, that’s some scary sh*t!
So, today I find solace in this story as I face my own sense
of uncertainty, fear and sadness this Advent and Christmas season. To say it
bluntly, my life wasn’t supposed to end
up this way. Believe me, I had great plans! Plans for me, and what my
family and life would look like. Needless to say, NONE of them have worked out
according to my master plan.
If I were to be completely honest, my life is a mere remnant
of what it was “supposed” to be, the point it would be almost unrecognizable to
a young Ray, full of hope and promise. Please don’t get me wrong, I don’t want
anyone to cry for me or play the world’s smallest violin. I have a good life
and I have so much to be thankful for! In many ways I am stronger and wiser
than I’ve ever been. I am definitely more authentic than I’ve ever been (and
this fact alone is worth all of the sacrifices I’ve made). However, the all of
the wealth of good things in my life can’t completely steer me away for
noticing the areas of dysfunction, lack and disappointment.
So, what is there for me to do? I, again, turn to the story
of Jesus’ birth. When poor Mary, a young teen whose life was completely turned
upside-down by unexpected circumstances, was confronted with unexpected life
plans she simply responded with these words (as recorded in Luke 1:38),
“Behold, I am the servant
of the Lord; let it be to me, according to your word.”
Yes, that’s the word for me (and possibly you) this Advent
and Christmas…the lesson of surrender and the ability to let go. I’ll talk more
specifically about my own situation and how this applies in my next blog post
(it feels good to be writing again). But until then, please know that…
This is not the end of our story. Our best
days are not behind us; they are ahead of us. If
your Christmas isn’t exactly “merry”, then you are in good company. The first
Christmas wasn’t exactly good times either. Fear and uncertainty are as much of
faith as is victory and triumph; one is incomplete without the other. But no
matter what the season presently looks like, just remember there are #bigthingscoming.
NOTE: If you’re new to the site it might be
helpful to read the first (introductory) post. Also, feel free to post your
questions or comments here and you can always reach out to me on Twitter
@raycjordan using the hash tag #bigthingscoming.
(Copyright, 2015, Ray Jordan)
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