For many people, this is the time of year for celebrations, overflowing with joy, peace, thankfulness, and hope for the future.

For others, any festivities are punctuated by loss, sadness, strife, or hopelessness. Gifts of joy, peace, thankfulness and hope seem almost unattainable. It can be hard to celebrate when you are waiting…waiting to feel better, waiting for relationships to be healed, waiting for the next paycheck, waiting for a judge to render a decision, waiting for permanent housing, waiting for a reason to celebrate…

This week, I was struck by the similarities between two familiar stories from long ago. First, from Genesis 18, Abraham and Sarah had waited almost a century to become parents. (Admittedly, when I have to wait for something for a few months or years, I feel like I have waited an eternity!) The other story is found in Job, where we read about a godly man with incredible wealth and good fortune, who had it all taken away in a short amount of time. By the end of the book, he is waiting, either for the dire situation to get even worse with one more piece of bad news, or for something positive to finally come his way.

What did these people do while they waited? They trusted God for who He is, claiming His promises, even though humanly speaking, they did not have reason to celebrate.

Check out the similarities between these two verses:
-       Genesis 18:14…After restating His promise that He will provide more descendants for Abraham than grains of sand on the seashore, God says, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
-       Job 42:2…After God reminds Job of His amazing involvement in every detail of life on earth, Job responds, ”I know that You can do anything, and no one can stop you.”

Although they may not have been able to see it at the time, both Abraham and Job had reason to celebrate God’s incredible mercy, love, and provision. Soon after acknowledging that nothing is too hard for the Lord, Abraham and Sarah became parents to Isaac, born to them in their old age, and Job had his fortune restored to him; in fact, God gave him twice what he had before.

Regardless of our circumstances, we all have reason to celebrate, even though we may still be waiting for something. We do not have to wait to choose joy, peace, thankfulness and hope.

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (NLT)
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Go ahead—what are you waiting for?
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If you are a long-time reader of Social Incites™, you may have noticed that I no longer send out articles every Monday. In fact, I have only sent a couple in the last year. When it comes to writing, I have had a year that has been “less than ideal.”

“Ideal,” as defined by Dictionary.com, is:
noun
1. a conception of something in its perfection.
2. a standard of perfection or excellence.
3. a person or thing conceived as embodying such a conception or conforming to such a standard, and taken as a model for imitation.
 
Do you have “ideals” that you strive to achieve? A conception of what it would be like to have a perfect appearance, job, health, home, marriage, child, friend, financial circumstances?

Are there areas of your life that are “less than ideal?” Have you had difficulty getting through your “to do list?” Maybe you even struggle to get out of bed some mornings? Have you wished you got more done, had more time, could be more intentional with how you spend your time? Do you mourn the loss of relationships or security?

There are so many whose year has been “less than ideal.” All around me, I see people struggling with illness, grief, job loss, abuse, difficulty paying bills, depression, loneliness, strained relationships, homelessness, etc. And typically, we are all too aware that the people around us are also “less than ideal,” as their lack of perfection leads to miscommunication, hurt feelings, and broken relationships.

Often, as much as we anticipate “ideal” holidays, the lack of perfection is especially real and raw this time of year. Busyness, dysfunctional relationships, lack of sleep, weight gain, loneliness, and difficulty paying bills all come together to cloud the lights, music, and festivities. While some people eagerly anticipate the holidays, others dread them.

Is there hope for our “less than ideal,” whatever that might be?

This time of year, I am reminded of the first Christmas, most of which was “less than ideal:”
-       A young, unmarried woman with an unexpected pregnancy
-       A long journey on donkey-back while nine months pregnant
-       A town full of “No room in the inn” signs
-       A birth in a stable, surrounded by loud, dirty animals
-       A rag-tag team of smelly shepherds and their sheep, gathered around a newborn baby
-       A king determined to kill all males under age 2
-       An emergency overnight race to Egypt, on foot, to escape the baby-killing soldiers

Wait…isn’t Christmas supposed to be beautiful, fun, comforting, enjoyable, and rewarding? If it isn’t for you, take heart. The “reason for the season,” Christ himself, knows all about “less than ideal.” His willingness to step into that centuries ago is cause enough for comfort, as it assures us that he also steps into our “less than ideal,” as our “Immanuel,” or “God with us…” in good times and bad, in success or failure, in whatever you are facing, He is there.
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That’s reason enough to celebrate this Christmas season!