But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. –Luke 5:15-16
2020 has been so loud. Social media is filled with friends shouting their opinions. The news is filled with unrest and more people shouting their opinions. Everywhere we turn, we are being told to believe this or do that and then the next day we are told the opposite. Not to mention the noise of being at home with the whole family for months on end. As Christmas approaches, I keep thinking about the carol Silent Night. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is singing this song by candlelight at the end of Christmas Eve service. The atmosphere is perfect. There is a calm and a peace that comes from this moment and it truly helps me to prepare my heart to celebrate the birth of our Savior! Unfortunately, many churches will not be having a service like this in 2020. So how do we create this feeling in our lives? I lost my husband at the beginning of this year. As a result, I have spent a great deal of the year filling my time with useless activities, tasks, and scrolling in order to avoid the silence. It is so much easier to be busy or to be surrounded by noise than it is to sit in the hurt. But I know that sitting in silence with my Savior brings healing. Unfortunately, I also know that the healing process can be painful. Many of us have been avoiding the silence this year. We know that the second we stop moving and rest, we will break down. What hurt do you need healing from this year: the loss of a loved one or job, the stress of playing the role of teacher to your children while also working from home, the let down of having to cancel the vacation you had been planning for years, the loneliness of not being able to see your friends and family…? Scripture tells us that Jesus often withdrew to desolate places to pray. When He was met with a crowd shouting at Him, He would then need time to be silent before the Father. This verse is not overtly about Christmas, but when we think about being prepared to celebrate the birth of our Savior, we too need to withdraw and be silent before the Father. This Christmas will likely look different, but the meaning is the same. We are celebrating the hope, healing, and restoration that God brings to the world through Jesus. He is able to heal those hurts you are running from this year. He is able to handle our breakdowns. He cares and is waiting to meet us in those silent moments. Make a plan today for how and when you will find your silent night.
Megan Horvath
How do we heal from the SBC Sexual Assult Scandal?
I want to be a part of the solution, not the cause of more injuries. As a survivor, I understand the fear of the pain when reflecting on the past. News reports of more instances of people experiencing an injustice prick wounds buried deep. It has taken me years to find the courage to speak up about the criminal acts done to me. And it has taken even longer to embrace those pain points and filter them through the blood of Jesus. I by no means am completely healed from these wounds, but I am healing. This journey will be long but worth it.
God is Good!
I repeat, God is a good God! We say this phrase quite frequently. Sometimes the statement rolls off our tongue and is spoken with conviction.
14 Day Challenge
14 Day Challenge…You Game? Raised in the church, I thought I knew how much God loved me. I heard the old stories about Adam and
Love Week Posts:
What is LOVE?
Before we can love someone else in a healthy way, we must learn to love ourselves.
How do you see yourself? Our perspective about ourselves determines the way we seek to love. We either embrace or deflect true love for ourselves depending on how we view ourselves. If we seek love in all the wrong places, then ask ourselves, “I am worthy of love?”
Megan, you did a beautiful job in your piece. Grief is a hard thing to work through. There is a program “Grief Share” that I have attended and is very good. It gives great ideas of how to deal with grief, no matter what the grief is from. There are so many losses for different hurts. But God is there all the time and His healing comes from the time we sit at His feet and just telling Him of our hurts. His loves covers us and makes our hearts sing again. Thank you for sharing.