Peace I leave with you:  My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.  John 14:27  HCSB

This is the eve of the day that we celebrate Christ’s birth.  We are not celebrating the birth of X but of Christ, so let me start by saying that if we have any hope for peace, we must keep Christ in Christmas.  But let’s face it, Christmas isn’t always easy.  It can be a time that is lonely and fearful for many of us at various times throughout our life.  Last night my husband and I were watching one of my favorite Christmas movies on TV and we were curious about what year it came out.  We found that it came out in 1989.  Now I can also tell you that the movie Home Alone came out in December 1989.  Now the reason that I remember this so well is that I remember my cousin, who is like a brother to me, keeping watch over me for months. I remember him and a couple other friends taking me to see Home Alone.  You see I had just divorced my first husband on grounds of adultery after he admitted to having an affair with his co-worker.  Talk about a Hard Candy Christmas.  The song Hard Candy Christmas was released by Dolly Parton in October of 1982.  I am a Dolly Parton fan.  I think that she has a beautiful voice and that song has a beautiful melody.  But let me say this,  it is easier to listen to when you are not living it, if you know what I mean.  I am so grateful to my cousin for being my rock to lean on during this difficult time.  You see God had helped me to move near him just before all this happened.  So looking back I know God had my back.  He knew what was coming and he put me near the person that would take care of me during this difficult time.

I’ve had my fair share of Hard Candy Christmases and let me say that I have done them my way and God’s way and His way helps to ease the pain.  My way usually just makes things worse.  Of course that can be said with all situations, just sayin’.  Now let me say something about my marriage.  I had married this person not with God’s blessing.  There were several red flags that popped up while we were dating and I had assumed God was good with this relationship because we attended church together .  But let me say that once it was all said and done, I realized that God had been trying to tell me to walk away before we said, “I do”.  But God had other plans for me and if I had only had sense to trust in those plans, I would have suffered a lot less that Christmas.  When we are going through hard times, it is difficult to realize that God is working this out for your good.  But, if you love Him and you are doing the work that He has called you to do, then know that He’s got this.  Know that He is going to work all this out for your good and His glory (Romans 8:28-29).

If you are going through hard times the holidays just seem to exaggerate your suffering.  The rest of the world is running around in the hustle and bustle oblivious to anything but getting that perfect gift.  Friends are meeting and enjoying their time together.  Families are gathering together.  And sadly, even if you are amongst friends and family, you can feel terribly lonely if you have lost someone you love be it through death or some other type of separation.  I remember sitting at my mom’s kitchen counter in December of 1989 heartbroken and drinking a cup of coffee trying to muster the strength to get through the day.  I remember my mom trying to cheer me by telling me that it wasn’t as though he had died. I think in those early days of our separation, my mom thought he would come to his senses and we could repair our marriage.  I told her no it wasn’t, because if he had died he would not have left me by choice.  He chose to have an affair.  He chose to put himself in a position to get this woman pregnant and he chose to put our marriage at risk and give me no alternative but to walk away.  So yes, it was not as though he had died, it was much worse.

So today, whether you have lost a loved one, hit rock bottom financially, succumbed to your addiction one too many times, or are suffering through some other situation, know that Jesus came so that you may have peace.  In Luke 2:14 when the angels appeared to the Shepherds, they parted with these words, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”  When we please God, we can have peace in our lives.  I think we get into trouble when we lose sight of God while trying to please man.  Galatians 1:10 tells us that we are to please God and not man and that if we are trying to please people then we are not being servants of Christ.  You see I had been trying to please man more than I was trying to please God.  I had put my faith in man and not God.  Had I had my focus on God this entire time, I might have still been jilted by this man, but it would have made for a much softer landing when I fell.

When we make our Christmas all about Christ, we can have peace.  We can have that peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). So turn to God today and focus on Him.  If you are looking for peace, then He is where you will find it. God sent His Son so that we may have eternal life (John 3:16) and peace on earth (Luke 2:14).   Don’t have another Hard Candy Christmas. Focus on God the Father and the awesome gift that He gave us and trust in Him to work this suffering out for your good.

Have a wonderful Christmas Eve!