When Christmas Hurts: A Devotional for Finding Comfort and Hope Within the Story of Christmas

By Diana Clemmons

Christmas is meant to be a time of celebration and joy. For many, however, it is a time of pain and despair. Authored by someone who understands firsthand how difficult this time of year can be, When Christmas Hurts: A Devotional for Finding Comfort and Hope within the Story of Christmas was written for those struggling to find hope and joy in the season. When Christmas Hurts takes a deeper look a

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diana Clemmons
• Release date: Nov 10, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301195589

Diana Clemmons

Diana Clemmons is from Phenix City, Alabama where she lives with her wonderful husband, James, and her brilliantly creative son, Gabe. She works full-time as a speech language pathologist and is blessed to work with some of the most wonderful kids in the country. On July 1, 2007, she and her family welcomed little Sara Danielle Clemmons into their home. Born with Dandy Walker Syndrome, Sara only graced their lives for an all too short 5 1/2 months, but she left a legacy in each of their hearts that will last forever.

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Preface

There was a time in my life when I loved Christmas and everything about it- decorating the house, attending parties, buying presents. But when tragedy struck our family December 17, 2005 my feelings about Christmas were radically changed. Suddenly I was no longer sure how I would ever survive another Christmas, let alone celebrate one.

Today I am living proof that, as the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary. …with God, nothing is impossible. Now I can once again appreciate and celebrate Christmas, although for very different reasons. Coming to this place has not been easy. It has been a dark and difficult journey, but I have found God often places treasures along the pathway of our journey through life that can only be found in darkness. This book contains some of the treasures to which God has led me - treasures that have taught me to love Christmas in a new way. My prayer is that you too may find these treasures and that, as they ignite in you a new sense of awe at the wondrous events surrounding the birth of our Savior, you too will once again find joy and hope in this holiday season.

December 1st

"When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah…"

Luke 1:5 NLT

God begins His story about the birth of His Son by introducing us to two people who knew first-hand about sorrow, Zechariah and Elizabeth. Luke tells us …they had no children because Elizabeth was barren. (Luke 1:7). Anyone who has struggled with infertility knows the pain they endured, however in those days the inability to have children meant more than the ache to hold their own child in their arms. To them it was considered a sign of God’s judgment, ¹ a particularly difficult burden for a priest to bear.

Yet hidden away in the names of Zechariah and Elizabeth was a promise of hope. It was no accident that the angel Gabriel quoted the following words spoken 400 years earlier by the prophet Malachi to a man whose name meant remember and whose wife’s name meant God hears.

"Don’t be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. He (John) will be a joy and a delight to you, and many people will rejoice when he is born… He will go out ahead of Adonai in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready for Adonai a people prepared." Luke 1:13-14, 16-17 CJB

It is easy to imagine the discouragement that settled over Zechariah and Elizabeth as year after year nothing happened, but God heard the prayers of Zechariah and Elizabeth for a child the first time they whispered their pleas, many years before. He remembered their cries.

There times in our lives as well when it seems as if God doesn’t hear our prayers or remember our cries for help. We may believe He is angry with us or we may simply become discouraged during the wait. But we should never give up. David said in Psalms