Fresh Hope

Despite how it might appear (because of my recent blogs and comments), I honestly do enjoy Christmas: the lights and decorations, the parties and food, the gifts and fun. But my personal, spiritual goal is to always do better, be better, not be content merely continuing down a path of traditional thinking without examining that thinking. I try to look for different perspectives, new approaches, during every season of the year.

One concern I have was voiced recently by a friend of mine who is an educator in southwest Missouri. She said (in a comment regarding my post last week -- thanks, Michelle), "I have gotten to where I dread December; this is a very hard month for so many of the kids I work with at school. What the media tells them Christmas should be is so far from their reality. It makes what these young people struggle with during the rest of the year magnified to a good degree."

Those of us who are blessed to have loving families, plenty of food and shoes that fit can watch the barrage of happy movies and good times portrayed everywhere during the holidays and not necessarily feel left out or sad. But, as my friend notes, there is a different reality for an ever-growing number of children (and adults). Because of illness, lost jobs and homes and other reasons for broken dreams, there are more and more families who have needs and hurts so big that a food basket and a few toys, as welcome and well-meaning as those things are, become tiny bandages on huge wounds. We tend to think of poverty as a lack of money, but often poverty means being bereft of hope.

The generosity displayed during the holidays is important and wonderful, but the spirit of giving should continue in creative and meaningful ways. As we have celebrated, once again, the arrival of Jesus, let us strive every day to carry on his ministry on earth, as outlined in Luke 4:18-19, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

I hope our eyes and hearts will be opened to what so many of our neighbors are going through, and that by sharing the good news, we can offer fresh hope to hurting people, bringing glad tidings which will last a lifetime and beyond.