By: Stephen Ready, Interim head of school

As a parent, one of my hopes every year at Christmastime is that everything “goes well.” I hope the kids like their gifts. I hope no one gets sick. I hope we don’t fight in the car on the way to grandma’s house. And I hope I am intentional with my time off from work by not becoming too lazy. I admit, these are fairly shallow hopes, and inevitably, every year there are things that just don’t go the way I’d like them to.

Christmas is also a busier time than most. School is wrapping up, there are lots of parties to get to, and there is plenty of shopping to do. It’s not long into the Christmas season every year that I wonder, “Is this how Christmas is supposed to be? I don’t think I’m supposed to be stressed and exhausted because of Christmas.” I know, for many of us, Christmas is an exceptionally difficult season for other reasons, including difficult family dynamics, the recent loss of a loved one, or financial challenges.

In the midst of these challenges, I often lose sight of a few truths that the Holy Spirit gently, and sometimes not-so-gently, reminds me of. Even though, as believers, we are well-acquainted with these familiar truths, I share these poignant reminders as we move through this season.

Truth #1: Jesus is my only real hope.

As a school, we have been memorizing 1 Peter 1 this year as our school verses. Verse 3 reminds us that because of His mercy, God has caused us to be born again to a living hope through Jesus Christ.

As I mentioned earlier, I have a lot of hopes this time of year. Although they are all well-intentioned, ultimately, they leave me dissatisfied. I need to be reminded each year that all of those things can go wrong, and yet, I still have a living hope in Jesus. He is the only one who satisfies. The baby who was born in a manger grew up to pay a debt I could never repay so that I would spend forever with Him.

Truth #2: Jesus cares deeply about my pain.

In Isaiah 42, God tells us through His word that He is sending Jesus to us. It is a great passage about the coming of Christ, the character of Christ, and God’s redemptive plan for His people. In reading this recently, I was struck by a few verses that highlight the care, compassion, and gentleness of Christ toward His people:

“I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.”
(Isaiah 42:1-3)

In these verses, we see that Jesus, though He is Almighty God, is tender and merciful toward His people. As we read the verses describing “a bruised reed” and “a faintly burning wick,” God is telling us that though He will bring forth justice, He will do it with compassion and care. He deals gently with us as we are struggling. He is tender with us in our pain. As it says later in that same passage, He will take us by the hand and keep us.

I need to be reminded that in the Christmas story, we see God’s heart for us. He is with us. He came to earth so that we might know just how much He cares for us.

This season, I pray that these truths would be on all of our minds and hearts in our busyness, as our expectations are met or unmet, and as we enjoy our families.

Merry Christmas!