For some of you the holiday season is difficult. Family stuff, tension, stress, broken relationships, unmet expectations, loneliness, revenge, posing. Fake smiles and holiday cheer. This, and more, all wrapped up in the next 6 weeks or so. Get me a drink.
Be strong and courageous.
Some of you will be eating dinner on Thanksgiving at the table with man who molested you as a young girl or boy. You will hug the person that raped you. Some of you will sit at the table and exchange gifts with the parent that so deeply wounded you with words of rejection and disapproval that you've often wondered if you ever mattered to them.
Be strong and courageous.
Some of you will sit at the table of despair because of the divorce that still haunts, the hugs that never came, the words of validation that were never uttered, words of condemnation, and disapproval. For some this will be hard.
Be strong and courageous.
I have no nice, easy words to make it feel better because there may not be any. Some Christians try to force it with empty rhetoric. Truth: the pain may still suck. The only thing I can offer is the truth that the pain only temporary (that is, there is hope). Hope in what, you ask? That the God who's image you bear seeks to meet you where you are, take on your pain, offer you the way of healing, and bring into something better and he will do it.
If you need a place to vent feel free to do it here. . .
Posted by anthony at November 24, 2004 12:15 PM | TrackBackbe strong and couragous sometimes, broken and humble others, when it is best to be so. bucking up all the time will wear you out.
I dont quite get what you mean by "it's only temporary" and "hope." you're not equating these things? the hope that has carried us through crappy times is assurance that God is faithful, and He'll turn this crap into gold, and He is driving us to our knees, to Him, amidst the crap.
Posted by: bobw at November 24, 2004 01:13 PMBob, yeah, that's a good point. I need to clarify.
Posted by: Anthony at November 24, 2004 05:52 PMTruer words have never been spoken. I like what you said because its real. Your not trying to sell your point of you and push your ideology, its refershing. And your not some spoiled jerk who complains about "how the holidays suck" because you have to decide out of all the "cool" partys you have been invited too, which one you should go to , and its such a bother to decide , give me a fucking break. How about all the millions of people that dont have that "someone special " to be with and dont have the family to visit during the Hilidays? And wernt invited to any barbeque? But I guess we dont count do we??
Posted by: gary at July 5, 2005 12:56 PMgary, thanks for the kudos bro and thanks for disclosing; yeah, some people just have no idea. . .
Posted by: Anthony at July 5, 2005 09:57 PM