Friday's Faith - In the Holidays, Not Getting Tripped Up by Illusions...

Friday's Faith

In the Holidays ~

Not Getting Tripped Up by Illusions...

Not getting caught up in the "illusions," or the magical thinking of this season we're in, not getting caught up in this illusion around the pressure to "play family" on that one day no matter what is going on with any one individual, was a risk for us that we felt we had to take for our own sanity over this past Christmas holiday. We were just being true to who we are, and where we are, being authentic to where we are in our emotions, that God then moved and touched us in such a way that we didn't anticipate, a beautiful connectedness to one another that couldn't be planned, contrived, or controlled, it had to just "be" in the authenticity of the moment.

Faith is the evidence of things not seen, the assurance of things hoped for. Faith moved mountains for us when our frailty amidst grief felt it could move nothing. God came through delivering moments of love, nurture, and respect among members of our grieving family. If we had demanded He deliver it in a certain time with no human foibles to bear, we all would have been set up for disaster. But when we have grace and mercy toward our selves, and toward one another, love comes shining through in the most unexpected ways.

And regarding the holiday coming up this weekend, well, I will never hear the words "Happy New Year" the same, ever again. I don't ever want to set myself up for such magical thinking. The reality is we can have happiness, and tragedy, sorrow, and elation all in one year, but "Happy New Year"? I think not. Rather, I'd like to hear, may God be with us in the coming new year, in all its moments whether sorrow or joy, and if He is there with us, there will at least be comfort if not always "happiness." But we do pray that each and every one of you may have a God-blessed, God-indwelled, God-glorified New Year!