is Christmas even possible
in a city virtually destroyed by
war?
and not just war.
no, this is
a country
killing its own
grandpas and
grandmas and
fathers and
mothers and
daughters and
sons.
bombs and starvation
and snipers and
absolutely
no mercy.
no grace.
no love.
blood runs red.
babies cry in hunger.
children scream in terror.
where is Christmas in this?
when will the child have a bed?
when will bombs stop raining
down
from
the
sky?
when will the
dust rising from
buildings crushed
clear enough to
see His star
blazing in the night sky?
do angels still sing while
bombs and shells explode?
is a stable even left
standing to hold a
manger?
does even one sheep
remain for a shepherd
to watch over?
and really, who am I to ask
such questions?
who am I to ask God
why suffering so deep
and dark and evil
is taking place
under the
very same moon
which glows gentle
over my warm home
and soft bed?
why them and not me?
and where is Christmas in this?
so what will be our answer?
if I was standing toe to toe
with a family from Aleppo
(or other places war-ravaged)
what would I say?
kneeling so as to be
eye level with the smallest
child,
how would
I explain the
unexplainable?
Christmas is here
because Jesus is here.
Jesus is the baby in the manger.
He is mercy and grace and love.
He is holding every heart in
this world so broken.
He is peace
where no peace
exists.
He is light
where all is dark.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never
extinguish it." John 1:5
promises the heart can cling to.
Jesus came to bring light.
Jesus is that Light
and darkness can
never snuff Him out.
yet can a family suffering
horrors unspeakable
grasp what is truth?
when fear and terror
wrapped in hopelessness
prevail,
words alone,
although
powerful,
are not
enough.
I certainly do not have
answers wise enough.
I just know that we who
kneel at the manger
and worship Jesus
and celebrate
His birth
cannot look the
other
way.
the baby in the manger brought
light to everyone.
and that includes every single person
crushed in the crowd desperate for
a little food and
living in fear and trying to escape
when the guns and bombs are
silent for just a moment,
and if fortunate enough
to escape, are now
refugees.
no home. no country.
and winter grips.
this. is. reality.
and I cannot look the other way.
I must do my part,
no matter how small,
to be a reflection of the
Light of
Christmas.
Thanks for sharing your heart in this horrific situation, may Abba's light break into the darkness.
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