This time of year can be difficult for many people. The days are shorter and the weather colder. There are many social expectations for the holidays with parties and sometimes tense family gatherings. We’re preparing to close out one year and start another. And in the midst of it all, we’re supposed to be extra thankful and joyful as we remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Sometimes it just feels like too much. It’s no wonder that Seasonal Affective Disorder returns for a significant percentage of people.
I’ve mentioned before that one of my favorite songs of the season is Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December.” It’s a reminder that this is not always a happy time for everyone, but it also reminds me that the seasons of life keep changing and could feel significantly different a few months from now.
Some of the “darker” Christmas songs* don’t get much airtime. A small group at my church recently discussed the song “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” While it references some of the prophecies fulfilled by Jesus, it’s also realistic about the fact that we live in the “already but not yet.” We don’t yet experience the fullness of freedom from captivity, mourning, death, envy, and strife. Although God came to be with us, we wait for the day when He will come again to make all things new.
I’ve been reading a chronological Bible this year, and it’s been interesting reading Revelation during Advent season. Contrary to the beliefs of some, the world is not going to get progressively better until the end of time. There will be war, plagues, death, and destruction, but all God’s people will be preserved for eternity with Him.
Earlier this year there was an episode about Revelation on the Being Human podcast that I skipped over because I figured I’d disagree with some eschatology. However, I listened to it this week and found it uplifting. They note that the point of Revelation is not to outline the specific details of the end times, but to encourage those who are living through it. Like all of Scripture, it points us to our Creator and Redeemer, and gives us reason to endure to the end.
We may not always see great beacons of light in the darkness, but there are always pinpoints directing our attention to God and the path He has laid for us. We may go through dark valleys, but He is always by our side.
In an episode of the CCEF podcast on gratitude, they noted that “gratitude is actually meant to coexist with sorrow, not replace it.” It’s possible to live in seasons of darkness, difficulty, and mourning and still find reasons for gratitude in what God has done, is doing, and will do.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:5, 14).
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* Listen along:
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
© 2025 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.
