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Despair and Christmas

I’ve often heard the statistic cited that more suicides occur during the Advent/Christmas season than during any other time of year. This is not only depressing, but speaks to the materialism problem in our culture and the lack of simple meditation on the Gospels. For in the Christmas story, we read of hope’s triumph over misery.

Consider the reality of the story. Joseph, a newly married man, is ordered by the government to travel with his very pregnant wife, just so the government can count the number of people from the town. As a relatively poor man, this was undoubtedly a financial burden on the family, not to mention a problem because of the impending birth of Jesus. So, Joseph makes the trip and arrives to find out every hotel room in the city is taken. I imagine that he checked more than a few. It’s possible that Mary began contractions during this time (it’s a hard trip and she did give birth that night), so Joseph is very aware that the birth is going to happen anytime. Finally, he is offered not a room, but a smelly stable to sleep in. Not the ideal place for your wife to give birth. To make matters worse, it’s probably pretty cold according to scientific analysis of the weather during that time and it’s doubtful the stable is very warm. This is an occasion likely to bring despair on most of us.

But the interesting thing is that we don’t read of Joseph’s complaints or whining. We don’t read that Mary nagged Joseph or blamed him for the problems. In fact, the birth of Christ is so full of hope and devoid of despair that the conditions of the birth are often overlooked. Why would God come into the world in this way? Why would God choose such a troublesome situation in which to become man? Perhaps God was trying to teach us something about our own lives. After all, through this misery the greatest gift the world has ever known came about.

If we believe that God has a perfect plan for our salvation, a plan that began before the world was formed and is still being carried out, then we must believe that God not only allowed Himself to be born in these conditions, but actively willed it. God chose to become man in a smelly, dingy stable on a cold night. There are many reasons why He may have chosen this method of coming into the world, but I believe a key one was to minister to those who are sad, downtrodden, and despairing. After all, God allowed you into the situation that causes this sadness for a reason. God’s main reason is always the same: your salvation. He allows us to go through tough periods in order that we may be saved. What’s a little sadness on earth in comparison to the greatness of heaven? Nothing.

I think during this time of year we should meditate on the birth of Christ and how it applies to our lives today. It’s easy to be frustrated or upset over the small problems we face on a day-to-day basis, but Joseph and Mary point us to a higher spirituality. A faith so strong that we always trust in God’s mercy, grace, and in God’s plan, no matter how bad our current situation seems at the time. This is the hope that sets Christians apart.

May God bless you and yours this Christmas.

God bless,
Jay