A Broken Christmas

Christmas feels different this year. I am 21 and this is the first year that it has hit me, that Christmas brings more pain than joy for so many. The magic seems to be gone. When I woke up this morning, my first thought was not the same as it has been on Christmas mornings in the past. Today, my first thought was of the people in my life who are suffering and it broke my heart. I know so many people who have experienced tragedy, heartbreak and devastation this year. These things are all around us in this messed up world we live in. This world is more broken than ever before, it is crumbling around us. This world needs Jesus. Christmas is a time where we should be surrounded by family and the people who we love, but there are so many who don't have that. There are countless people who feel the sting of the loss of a loved one all over again during this season. I will never understand why bad things happen to good people. The more I think about, the less I can comprehend it. In the midst of all the chaos in the world around me, I often find myself feeling guilty about my happiness. I feel so blessed and lucky. I have an amazing family and many friends that I would not trade for the world. I know that I have not experienced trails that compare to the ones that others have. I try to prepare myself for tragedy to strike in my life, but I know that I will not be ready. Today though, I am content. I am so happy and at peace with my life. I have the hope of a bright future, of a bright eternity in heaven. I cherish my fragile life, but I cannot wait to get to heaven. A place where there will be no pain, suffering, tragedy or devastation. The older I get the more I realize that there is no point in worrying about the future. I want to be prepared for the worst, but not fear it. There is no fear where God is found. His love casts out fear, and that is something that I will be forever thankful for. I have spent the majority of my life living in constant fear of nearly everything. That chain has been broken in the name of Jesus. This Christmas I am thankful for the many blessings in my life. I am thankful that Jesus came to earth as a baby so that He could eventually die for my sins. More than anything else today, I am praying for the people in my life, and in the world who have had Christmas broken forever by tragedy.