24th December
Loneliness, Interrupted
It is said that solitude is good for your mental health as it reduces stress and creates a sense of freedom, but only if you choose it and it doesn’t choose you. Otherwise, a forced solitude is just another word for loneliness.
Maybe this is your first Christmas without a loved one. You are already dreading it and wondering how you will get through the season.
It is not because there aren’t other people around but because there isn’t a certain somebody around. Somebody who has always been part of your life and now isn’t. And that must be so tough for you.
I know for myself loneliness can be overwhelming, but the comfort I take is that it is something I can share with Jesus because I know I can trust one who has gone through it.
Years later after lying in a manger surrounded by loving parents, shepherds and some wisemen a grown-up Jesus had to face the cross on his own. I have often reflected how crushingly lonely that must have been for him. But at this point I remember there was also a Father in Heaven who loved him.
If you are struggling this Christmas, I pray that you will know this same love and find comfort and know that you are not alone either.
But this I know for myself; I will find it harder if I don’t find places of solitude in this busy season. I will need to find times to be alone with God, to be reminded that ‘Immanuel’ – ‘God with us’ – is with me.
So, during Advent, I am choosing this to be my Christmas story. What will yours be?
