Christmas Doesn’t Have to Be Empty

I have been thinking about wrapping a few boxes empty boxes and placing them under our tree just for decoration. Of course, we’ll know they don’t hold anything they will just be for effect. And even if we forget, the minute we pick them up they will feel and sound hollow.

For some, at the end of Christmas day they will experience that dreaded emptiness If they were feeling unfulfilled before Christmas, they will still feel unfulfilled after and that may be surprising to them. Somehow even all the beautifully wrapped gifts will not have done the trick. Their beautifully wrapped boxes weren’t empty, yet what was inside did not manage to fill up that space or hole that has been with them. There is nothing worst than getting to the end of the day or season and feeling empty and unfulfilled.  

Our emptiness might be called loneliness, fear, disappointment, grief, unforgiveness, unhealed wounds…whatever we call it is not the issue, what we try to fill our emptiness with becomes the problem.

If we’re miserable before Christmas, we’ll be miserable after. If we’re feeling lost before Christmas, we’ll feel lost after. No matter how many gifts we buy or receive, how many parties we attend, how many drinks we pour, pills we pop, or joints we smoke, if we’re unhappy, lonely, unfulfilled, or empty before Christmas, we’ll be that way after. Jesus is the only answer to whatever ails or haunts us. He is the only solution to our problem. The only one who can fill up the void in our life and give our life meaning. We can receive a thousand amazing gifts at Christmas but if the one gift sent to us by God is not there to be unwrapped or received we’ll exit the season the same way we entered.

Jesus, a long time ago someone cleverly coined the term “Jesus is the reason for the season” and its still fitting today. I pray, come, and fill all my empty places and spaces. Amen       

Christmas Spirituality

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Hebrews 15:13)