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WHEN
CHRISTMAS ISN’T CHRISTMAS
BY DUKE ROHE, TEXAS COVENANT KEEPER
To
someone deeply wounded in their spirit over a broken marriage, special
days such as Christmas or anniversaries often have a reverse effect.
Those times which should be joyful and full of life can be like salt
poured on raw wounds. Everyone else seems happy, but you are left in
the shallowness of a despondent future. The evil one relentlessly
plays with your conscience: “Look what you did!”, “What is wrong
with you?”, “You are supposed to be feeling happy like everyone
else,” or “You are so inadequate.”
What
was meant to be a beautiful, special time of the year is now something
painful you must endure. For those of you who are there, I can truly
identify and say that it is a hard place to be. When I was going
through this time, my feelings were so raw they felt overexposed, and I
just wanted to curl up from life.
But
I am here to say that there is hope around the corner. Just as the
evil one taunts you with what you are not, there is a living, loving
Lord who is trying to breathe into you what you are—in Him.
Life is not at an end; it is just at the point where it can begin.
Jesus said, “It is not those who are well who need a
physician.” (Luke 5:31) Your time of need is now, and God will
show Himself to those who seek Him. He promises.
The
darkness of what is supposed to be a festive season is simply a
backdrop of what He is going to do in your life. He doesn’t see you
as you feel, He sees someone finally ready to receive all
that He has. He longs to show Himself to you in the most
comforting way. He wants to strip away the confusion and replace it
with the simplicity of His truth, a truth which is missed by so many
who are trying to reconcile what they want with God’s Word.
Speaking
as one who has experienced joyless holiday seasons, I know there is a
Power which will throw you closer to God than you could ever imagine.
You will receive understanding, once you trust in Him, which will
enable you to make sense of what now is confusing.
God
looks for a broken and contrite heart, and sometimes it takes a
breakdown before He can begin to build you up. Your life is positioned
for such a closeness, such a reality with Him. The pain and confusion
of the moment is not worthy to compare to what He has in store for
you. He is seeking ones with covenant hearts who stand regardless of
what their mates choose to do. Ones who are willing to forsake all and
love unconditionally, as He loves them. Ones who place their flesh,
with all the hurts and resentments, on the cross. This brings freedom
and wholeness beyond imagination.
Only
when we approach the cross do we discover what God can do in us. Only
then can He turn those terrible times into overcoming. The
circumstances may not be different, but your heart, in the midst of
the circumstances, is changed. Changed for the good: God’s good.
It
is then you will see His marvelous plan unfold in your heart. Once
again, you will experience Christmas as a time of joy, infinitely
greater than before.
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