Monday Morning Forecast

It is a cold crisp morning with the sun just beginning to light the horizon in the East. Here we are on December 23, 2024. I, like many, have wondered just where the year has gone. Only 8 more days and it will be 2025.

What is the forecast for the new year? We can find it in the gifts we are given as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. We are given Hope in the strength and endurance that God gives each of us, we can find Peace knowing that God is providing for our needs, we can find Joy as we center the focus of our lives on the Spirit of God that provides our growing faith, and we can bask in God’s Love as we live our lives for His glory.

Yet, with the end of a year and a start to a new year, it is an emotional time for many of us. This has been an emotional roller coaster this past year, and for many of us we continue to struggle to deal with grief, illness, loss from storms and wars, the daily struggle to provide for our families, and loneliness.

When words fail, tears flow. David refers to this phenomenon in Psalm 6: 8, when he claims: “The Lord has heard my weeping”

Tears have a voice all their own. A wordless language that does not need an interpreter. Most often they show up when our soul is overwhelmed with feelings that words cannot describe. Did you know that God takes special notice of those tears of yours? Psalm 56:8 says:

"He puts them in His bottle and enters them into the record He keeps on our lives."

That nearly makes us tear up. How comforting! This time of year, we must be especially sensitive to those who have recently suffered the loss of a loved one, the breakdown of a lifelong marriage, the pain and embarrassment of financial collapse, the heartbreak of a wayward son or daughter, the injury and illness of those we love. People everywhere are hurting. The holidays only exacerbate the pain. Loneliness is more intense as is the stress from our daily lives.

Don’t be afraid to shed tears with someone who’s experiencing these sorrows. Tears are a gift from the Lord.

We wish you all a glorious Christmas holiday and a prosperous New Year!