This is just another of those little observations that many times the holidays are difficult. I still feel they shouldn’t be that way, but I was thinking about why it is that they often are.
I believe it has something to do with ‘light’. Light has so many good and needful properties, and we love to bask in it, but it is disconcerting at times, too. Light exposes things we wish it wouldn’t.
Sometimes it exposes our selfishness and negligence. Sometimes it exposes hurts we wish remained under wraps, and there are times it exposes things we we have need of, that we’d prefer to ignore and thus deny our dependence.
Christmas with its high expectations, with its bright shining in the midst of winters dark soul has holiday candle power multiplied.
That is the secret of both its capacity to produce so much that is wonderful and its risks of deep disappointment.
Some people are so carefully constructing their walls against disappointment that they withdraw from the holidays altogether; but it is time that -if we determine- can hold opportunities to sow so much seed for a future harvest of good will. And allow it into our lives, as well.
Now there is an illustration for gardening people. It is nothing short of miraculous that the dark, deathly, winter cold could be a time of sowing and give promise of fruit. But it all hinges on our expectations, and if we have those misplaced we could miss the whole meaning of this holiday in our lives.
Which is the coming of light into our dark places.
So why don’t we proceed to light some candles this season? If it shows up something sad or worried or torn, I think we can seek God’s Grace in the time of our need…. and we can have hearts more open to what the needs truly are. It is all there in the Light.
Light of the World shine upon us, we pray, and give us grace to accept what we see, to receive what we need, and to give forth what is good.