Christmas & The Struggle

Christmastime is not “merry and bright” for everyone. Life doesn’t always play out like a holiday special on TV where love always wins and happiness prevails. For many, this time of year is met with seemingly untameable grief and intense pressure to go through the motions because of the avalanche of expectations put upon us by others (and ourselves); an avalanche that engulfs everyone in it’s path, in a cold , dark hug. 

Along with being starkly reminded of what we can hardly muster up the courage do, the holiday season can also be a crude reminder of who and what we don’t have in our lives; Just the thought of the year of memories missed out on due to strained relationships- and the circumstances that brought it all about- is almost unbearable. 

Christmastime is the time of year people excitedly start making plans for the coming year.  while those who are struggling are there trying to figure out how to get through today.  One foot in front of the other the saying goes- but when your feet feel like a ton of bricks are strapped to each of them- it gets exhausting. 

This holiday season pay close attention to the people around you and reach out to those who seem to be struggling to make it through this painful time of year. Look beyond yourself and your 
own plans, tweaking them whenever you can to make it easier on someone else to be included; Show them their presence matters more than things going as it would in a made-for-TV movie. Instead of expecting someone to come to you, reach out to them; It’s better to feel like you’re “prying”, than to overlook a dire situation that is on the brink of ending bleakly. Visit them. Ask them how they are doing and what you could do to help lighten the already laden burden they are carrying. Smile generously at customers, service representatives, & fellow shoppers as you shop, because you never know what that person is currently struggling with in their personal lives. Always be kind on social media, for the span of your influence has the power to make waves across the world , and should only be used to lift one another up ! Reach out to those who are rough around the edges , because they are the ones that most. Pay blessings forward, never pain !

When you look at the world without the filters of “hustle and bustle” and hype, you will see hurting people waiting for someone to say “I see you!” , and to prove that they do by reaching out a hand of help/hope. 


Written by President of Life Defenders, Feleica Langdon.


Comments

  1. Paddy Early16 December 2017 at 07:49

    There is so much brokenness in our world because we have allowed ourselves to buy into the lies of sexual revolution which has destroyed faith, family and peoples relationship with Jesus.
    Jesus is the reason for the season and people all need to simplify Christmas and keep their focus on Eternity🙏

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Adoption Story : Birth Mother to Toby Mac’s Twins

Image
Written by birth-mother Jina It was September 11, 2001, when a tragedy and a miracle would occur on the same day. I was living with my mother in Norfolk, VA with my 2 children. My mother woke me up, telling me that a plane had just hit WTC building 1. I was not surprised by this news, but I got out of the bed and went into the living room and watched Good Morning America, who was covering the story. We sat there glued to the screen for the next several hours, too horrified to move. After the final plane went down, I left my mother's house, and walked the 15 blocks or so to my sister's apartment, and banged on her door. She had slept through everything and had no clue what was happening. I turned her television on, and as she got caught up with the days events, I contacted the guy I was seeing at the time, and told him I wanted to see him. Hearing how upset I was, he came as quickly as he could. We left my sister's house, and walked to the beach in Ocean View, where w...
Read more

My name is Dona Marie & I’m An Abortion Survivor

Image
                     Written by Dona Marie I remember being a happy child. I had simple joys then. Some toys, some sweets, my playmates, a VHS tape of The Sound of Music, my beloved dog and  my  doting parents made me feel the luckiest kid on earth. But an experience suddenly burst my happy bubble when I was about nine years old. It was the 16 th  of January, a big feast in our  small town is being celebrated. It was  Sto . Nino’s fiesta  (Feast of the Child Jesus). I remember being glad because there were no classes  that day. T herefore I was allowed to watch  The Sound of Music  even if it wasn’t Friday.  I also remember seeing my mother with a somber expression. She went upstairs to the master’s bedroom but before she did, instructed me to follow her after a couple of minutes. I did as I was told. I entered the room having no idea that my life was about to change. My mo...
Read more

Mom from Newfoundland shares photos of her son stillborn at 19 weeks

Image
Written by his mom, Ashley , who is also admin at Life Defenders. From the moment a mother finds out she’s pregnant, she anticipates the day she’ll get to hear her baby’s heartbeat and see him or her on the ultrasound screen. It doesn’t matter how many times she gets to see her baby, each time is just as special as the one before.  My second ultrasound was filled with silence and concern. When the doctor first told me something was wrong, my initial thought was “the baby must have a deformity or something”. That day I was supposed to find out the sex of my baby,  never in a million years did I ever think I would be told that he didn’t make it. According to the doctor, he passed away a couple of weeks before my ultrasound. My doctor tried to explain, but to be honest, I couldn’t quite understand it. I don’t think she understood herself. She told me that she found pockets of fluid on his arms and chest. She believed that my body created “new” antibodies to attac...
Read more