Are you ever disappointed?  This season of Covid has caused a lot of disappointments for many of us: holidays that we have missed with family, get togethers with friends, going to concerts, traveling, eating out, having to watch church on live stream.  The lack of connectedness can be very sad and disappointing.

I was just pondering what disappointments Christmas eve brought for Mary.  She was not in her own home with family around to celebrate the birth of her first baby.  She was in a smelly stable/cave with no heat or comfortable bed.  She couldn’t have Joseph call the midwives that all of her family used.  She must have felt very isolated and alone in a strange town.  I doubt that this is what she had planned for the birth of her baby.  It must have been very disappointing to her.

But then – God showed up in an amazing way.  Shepherds appeared at the door with a most incredible story of how a host of angels showed up to announce the birth of her son in and amazing display of glory!  I think it must have comforted her heart to know that God was very there in the midst of her disappointment.

God has a way of doing that. Sometimes when we least expect it, He brings us a little encouragement:  a note or phone call from a friend, just the right song on the radio, a thought that God drops into our hearts that lifts our spirits, or a verse in the Bible.

Here’s an example.  Jer. 17:7-8  “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.  They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

This may be a season of “drought” for you and disappointments can be overwhelming, but they are not bigger than our God.  We can always turn to Him and know that we will be blessed when we trust in Him. Dry seasons cause our roots to grow deep, and that is growth that God is accomplishing in times of disappointment. Are you looking to Him for strength and comfort, or are you looking to your circumstances to satisfy you?  Watch to see how God will show up.

Have a Blessed Christmas as you trust in Jesus, whose birth we celebrate!