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In Hope

The Joy Of Negative Memories Transformed

Sunday December 17, 2023

As we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christ’s birth, some of us may have negative memories and regrets about past Christmases.  Dysfunctional families, addiction, poverty, and loneliness may have been part of our history.  However, regardless of the many disappointments we may have experienced, God knows and cares about us and where we are at today.  

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born the prophet Isaiah prophesied, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.  For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.”  (Isaiah 9:2 NLT) We are the people on whom the light is now shining and for whom this great prophecy has been fulfilled.

At times in our past, life may have been unmanageable, and we were powerless to do anything about it.  We felt unnoticed by family members, teachers, and others, and resolved in our hearts that no one understood or even cared about us.  The truth is that God sees, God understands, and God cares about us.  Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, in His humanity entered our human experience and therefore can identify with our pain.  Jesus is known as Immanuel which means, God with us.

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. (John 3:16-18 MSG)

God’s invitation to us today is to turn our bad memories and regrets over to His care and allow Him to heal our hearts.  As we give God our past hurts we will receive from Him the purposeful future He has planned for us.  What a great exchange!  This is the gift that Christmas offers every person. 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, Thank you for the gift of Jesus.  May I ever be mindful that Jesus came to earth that I might have life and have it to the full.  Amen

©2023 Partners in Hope 

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