“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry for help.” Psalm 34:15 CSB
Seven days from Christmas, the hustle in full swing around us, the holiday blues may have set in for some people. The first year without a loved one or the fifth can make the holidays a sad time for people. Financial pressures, social stress, and family feuds have started to take their toll on us. The extended days are affecting our health, cold and flu season has arrived just in time to ruin the holidays, or try too. The holiday blues are a real thing we all deal with in some way or another, but they aren’t what God intended for us. God intended for us to celebrate the birth of His Son, not exhaust ourselves with constant activity. But what are we to do? How can we find rest from the blues?
There is only one way I know of to cure the blues, that’s by basking in the SON. Just as we sit on the beach and let the sun’s rays warm our skin, we can do the same thing with Jesus. We can find a quiet spot, wherever that may be, and soak in His rays. I remember once, when I worked for Nautica, I was in the midst of the holiday chaos and all that entails. Sales were slow, New York was breathing down my neck and I was tired. I was in Northern Virginia at one of the malls I covered there, it was lunch time. People were swarming around me, hands full of bags, buzzing from store to store. I sat at a table in Starbucks, pulled out my phone and started reading the Bible. I will never forget the rest I found in that moment as all of the activity around me subsided and I focused on God’s word. I was soaking up the Son in Fairfax, VA in 30 degree weather, and I was refreshed.
Think about today’s verse, let it sink down into your soul: God is watching you. He is listening with open ears to your cry for help. Whatever it is that you need help with this holiday season, He’s listening. And He’s ready to respond. Jeremiah tells us God will “refresh the weary and satisfy the faint” (Jeremiah 31:25 NIV). Isaiah reminds us, God is who sustains us (Isaiah 46:4 NIV). Moses reminds us in Exodus that the Lord is our strength and our song (Exodus 15:2 NIV). And Matthew reminds us to seek first His kingdom and these things will be given to us as well, including rest from the holiday blues (Matthew 6:33 NIV). Personally, I’ve been praying for all of you. I don’t know each of you, but I know God does. I know He loves you, and He wants you to live in His peace, no matter what time of year it is.
Today I’m finding rest from the holiday blues. How can you find rest today? Comment below.
