December 10th, 2024
Tuesday, December 10th
He is Near
By: Pastor Chrissy Cooney
A few years ago, at Christmas time, I was knocked sideways unexpectedly while walking through one of my favorite stores. Shaken to my core, I immediately left the store and ran to the safety of my car - where I wept.
I wept, watching Christmas shoppers walk past my windshield with smiles on their faces, giggling in their groups of two or three, heading into the store.
It wasn’t a physical knocking sideways, it was purely emotional, but just the same – I was beat up.
So, I sat behind the wheel of my motionless car, weeping, letting waves of grief roll over me, feeling the loss in every part of my being. Surrounded only by emptiness, loneliness, and loss.
It surprised me that it hit me so powerfully, my mom had been gone for several years. But this ghost of Christmas past – this memory of walking joyfully through the store with my mom – took me out at the knees.
So, I wept. And then I prayed. Right there in the car I was reminded that I am not alone. I was reminded that my God gave His only Son as a sacrifice so that I would not be alone. And I was reminded that He is near to the brokenhearted – He is near to me!
Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
He knows and understands the pain and walks with us through it.
If you are facing loss this Christmas, allow Him to comfort you. Recognize that our Loving God draws near when you grieve, when you weep, when you have to leave the store because the emotions are overwhelming.
You, my friend, are not alone. The God of all creation is with you.
He is Near
By: Pastor Chrissy Cooney
A few years ago, at Christmas time, I was knocked sideways unexpectedly while walking through one of my favorite stores. Shaken to my core, I immediately left the store and ran to the safety of my car - where I wept.
I wept, watching Christmas shoppers walk past my windshield with smiles on their faces, giggling in their groups of two or three, heading into the store.
It wasn’t a physical knocking sideways, it was purely emotional, but just the same – I was beat up.
So, I sat behind the wheel of my motionless car, weeping, letting waves of grief roll over me, feeling the loss in every part of my being. Surrounded only by emptiness, loneliness, and loss.
It surprised me that it hit me so powerfully, my mom had been gone for several years. But this ghost of Christmas past – this memory of walking joyfully through the store with my mom – took me out at the knees.
So, I wept. And then I prayed. Right there in the car I was reminded that I am not alone. I was reminded that my God gave His only Son as a sacrifice so that I would not be alone. And I was reminded that He is near to the brokenhearted – He is near to me!
Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
He knows and understands the pain and walks with us through it.
If you are facing loss this Christmas, allow Him to comfort you. Recognize that our Loving God draws near when you grieve, when you weep, when you have to leave the store because the emotions are overwhelming.
You, my friend, are not alone. The God of all creation is with you.
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