Celebrating through the Hurt

Christmas is a special time and often it is referred to as a magical time. It generates warm feelings of goodwill and generosity to others. It stirs up hallmark moments and events. If ever there is a time we try to live a picturesque life, it is during Christmas. It is as if we try to build a wall around the Holidays and believe it should keep out all the tribulations of life. The problem is that life still happens even during the Christmas Season. We still have family conflicts, divorces, diseases, illness, death, accidents, financial disasters, theifs, fires, loneliness and job losses. We pay extra attention to the hurts of life when it happens during these days and we always add the phrase, “how horrible, and during Christmas time too!”. Many people have a hard time balancing the celebration and honoring of Christ and the emotional pain from a hurt or a loss. It is hard to be sad when everything and everyone around you seem to radiate happiness. How do we do it?
Horatio Spafford was a man who had to figure out the answer to that question. Life brought Horatio many traumatic events. The first was the death of his only son in 1871.Then after being a successful lawyer, he experienced financial ruin following the great Chicago fire. In 1873, he had planned to travel to Europe with his family on a what we call a cruise ship. He ended up being delayede on business so he sent his family ahead. While crossing the Atlantic, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sailing ship and all four of Horatio’s daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone." The Spaffords later had three more children, one of whom (a son) died in infancy. If anyone had to learn how to worship God in the midst of extraordinary hurt, he did. How did he do it? He focused on Jesus and the sovereignty of God. How do we know that? Because shortly after the ship sank, as Horatio traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write some words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died. Those words were set to music and we know it as the song, ‘It is Well With My Soul.’ Those words, though not in modern language, are:
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul

I do not mean to devalue the hurt you may be dealing with this Christmas. However, I do know that Christ is the only one that can comfort and give you peace. He is bigger than your hurt. Isn’t that reason enough to celebrate His birth? Take a break from focusing on your trials and hurts and instead focus on Jesus and the season of love and joy. It is healing!

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (curing their pains and their sorrows).

Psalm 147:3