Christmas “Happy Tears”

During the holidays…

I hope you ventured out one evening to walk among a crowd. I hope you wore a cozy jacket and had something warm in your hands to drink. I hope little kids were running around and laughing at who-knows-what. I hope you saw a young couple holding hands and strolling, wearing contented smiles on their faces. I hope you saw an old couple doing the same. I hope there were Christmas lights shining and Christmas music playing in the background. I hope you stepped back for just a moment and took it all in. I hope your heart was full of joy. And I hope you shed some Christmas “happy tears.”

I hope you met up with a group of friends and shared life and good food and inside jokes. I hope you laughed hard and gave lots of hugs. I hope words of encouragement and hope and life were woven into the conversation. I hope you all had a story to tell of God’s goodness in the last year and that there were lots of “amen”s and “thank You, Lord”s. I hope you pulled away from the group for just a moment to study the faces of those people who know you so well and love you anyway. I hope your heart was full of gratitude. And I hope you shed some Christmas “happy tears.”

I hope you woke up early one morning and sat on the couch with a soft blanket across your lap. I hope the lights on the Christmas tree danced for you and the ornaments reminded you of sweet Christmases past. I hope you could hear the ticking of the clock and smell the deliciousness of brewing coffee. I hope the peace you felt was palpable. I hope you stared for a good long time at the stockings hanging on the mantle. I hope you thought about how precious each one of the people those stockings represent is to you. I hope as you sat in the solitude, your heart was full of love. And I hope you shed some Christmas “happy tears.”

I hope you pulled out a pen and paper and made a list of the hard, hard things you walked through in the past year. I hope you remembered the times you cried out to God – and He heard you. I hope you can still hear in your heart His promises straight from the pages of His Word – comforting, strengthening, sustaining you. I hope you thought of the kind, good, encouraging people He placed in your path to help you make it through just one more day. I hope you looked back and saw how much stronger your trust has grown through the challenges. I hope you spent a quiet moment with the Lord and thanked Him for His perfect plan for your life. I hope your heart was full of peace. And I hope you shed some Christmas “happy tears.”

I hope you turned a page or glanced at a photograph or smelled a scent that pierced your heart with grief and sorrow and mourning for the empty chair at the table – because those are signs of great love. I hope you allowed yourself the missing and the remembering of something beautiful or sweet or funny about someone you loved – still love – so very much. And although the aloneness of it all can fell so overwhelming, I hope you smiled to think about how much better your life was because that dear, dear person was a part of it. I hope your heart was full of comfort. And I hope you shed some Christmas “happy tears.”

I hope you opened your Bible and read the Christmas story – again – just like you do every year. I hope that as you read, the Holy Spirit opened your eyes to just one aspect of the story you’ve missed in the past and that you were happily surprised at your discovery. I hope you felt the reverence of Mary, the courage of Joseph, and the excitement of the shepherds. And I hope you took in the beauty of the love of God rising from the pages of Scripture to live inside of you. I hope you soaked in the moment of being drawn into that glorious story, knowing it was for you that Jesus came. I hope your heart was full of wonder. And I hope you shed some Christmas “happy tears.”

I hope you walked into a space where everyone was family and hugs and happy greetings filled the room. I hope the Word was read and songs were sung to celebrate the birth of the Savior. I hope the lights were dimmed and a flame was lit and passed from one candle to another. I hope the words of “Silent Night” were sung in awe and worship and as you looked around at the faces glowing by candlelight, you realized these are the ones you’ll spend eternity with. I hope your heart was full of Jesus. And I hope you shed some Christmas “happy tears.”

Merry Christmas Eve, friends.