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Ahhhhh…the holiday season. This coming Sunday (Dec. 3) begins the Season of Advent. Since Thanksgiving was last week…you are now allowed to break out the Christmas decorations and get festive (haha). 

This season is filled with all kinds of emotions ain’t it? There’s joy and excitement as folks await gifts and get togethers….there’s anxiety and nervousness as some struggle to find or make time for all the parties, get togethers, shopping, cooking, etc……don’t even get me started with the anger or grumpiness in knowing that person will be there and trying to figure out how to ignore them or how to get out from even having to go….and the sadness…oh… the…sadness. 

While several cheer and are excited, some are filled with moments of sadness for a ton of reasons: That empty seat that was once filled with our loved one; the lack of that persons famous cake, casserole, pie, smile; knowing you won’t get to see that person as they serve our country and are stationed so far away; missing out on so much because time, history, things happened and now it just won’t ever be the same. 

Psalm 23 challenges us to keep walking through those valleys of life. To keep moving away from the noise, the chaos, the hurt, the storms. Keep moving with your hope in God knowing He always provides through the storms and valleys. Surround yourself with folks who lift you up. 

While most folks think about Santa when it comes to roofs…allow me to give you a much-more-gooder thought year round when you think about a roof: Mark 2:2-11. In verse 4 of this section we read: “Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying (Mark 2:4, CSB).” Did you catch this? THAT is the type of folks who make this season much-more-gooder. Find you folks that would tear the roof off to get you to Jesus. 

Over the next several weeks you will be bombarded with events, parties, get togethers, parades, stores, cooking, cleaning, gathering from work to families, church to firehouses, friends to complete strangers. There will be highs….there will be lows. Look around you. Celebrate the ones who would tear the roof off to get you to Jesus. Don’t worry about the ones more worried about the gifts or the fat guy bringing them…focus on what truly matters – THE reason we even celebrate. So…chin up, eyes focused, heart aligned. Tear the roof off if needed. 

Rev. J. Cameron Bailey is pastor of Kenbridge Christian Church. He can be reached at jamescameronbailey@gmail.com.