When Life is Not a Christmas Card

Devotionals — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 08:03:51 +0000

In our homes with lights aglow, stockings hung with care and cookies baking in the oven, our lives can look like a Christmas card. But sometimes it looks like something else. It can look harsher, colder, and even very lonely. Sometimes, Christmas can be hard. It doesn’t look like a Christmas card, or a happily ending Christmas movie.

What do we do when life is hard and we don’t know what to do?

Hold tight to our faith and keep our trust in God.

Sometimes, there are those things we can never fix and things that we can never change. Sometimes, there are circumstances and trials we’ll never understand, those things we’ll never know the reason why. Sometimes, we face situations that will test our faith and test our trust in God.

Faith is trusting that God is there
And knowing He is always in control.
Faith is staying close to Him
No matter what comes your way,
And believing He will meet your every need.

Faith is knowing that He loves you
And will never leave you or forsake you.
Faith is believing that in all things
He has a purpose and a plan.

Faith is knowing
You don’t have to understand it all
To keep your trust in Him.

Isaiah 41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

By Kathy Cheek
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

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Where is God in the Wilderness?

Devotionals — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 08:01:36 +0000

Have you ever been so tired that you felt you couldn’t take another step?

That life has wrung you out and hung you up to dry? Have you ever wanted to just give up and throw in the towel?

Where is God?

Where is God when there is a thirst in our soul that cannot be quenched? Where is God when the darkness invades our spirit, when we’re in a dry and barren land? Where is God when there is a longing for wholeness where only brokenness is found? Where is the hope? Where is our God?

I wonder if Elijah felt like this when he ran away . . .

After defeating the prophets of Baal and experiencing God’s mighty answer to prayer for rain after a three year drought, Elijah was given a death threat from the wicked queen of the land. “Most Wanted” posters for Elijah went up in Israel overnight and he fled for his life. . .

MOST WANTED: Elijah

Just a few hours earlier, Elijah had witnessed the mighty power of God and watched as the people of Israel turned to God in repentance. But discouragement invaded his soul like a mighty army and Elijah ran . . .

Elijah ran . . .

He ran far out into the wilderness, found a solitary tree to sit under and begged God to let him die. He’d had enough and he wanted out!

What happens next is so surprising. He falls asleep and God lets him. When he awakes the angel of God feeds him and he falls back asleep. There is no condemnation, no scolding. There is just food and rest.

Once Elijah is rested and filled, God has him travel 40 days out into the vast wilderness. While Elijah is holding out in a cave God reveals Himself to him. Not once does God reprimand Elijah or scold him for being so self-focused, for desiring to dropout. God asks Elijah a simple question: What are you doing here? And he listens to Elijah’s reply. And then God gives him another job to do.

God’s unfailing love and care.

As I reflect on this beautiful story of God’s love and care for His faithful servant Elijah, I am reminded of God’s love and care for us. In the midst of the brokenness God is there. When we are tempted to dropout from what He has called us to do we are reminded that God sees all – He knows all. He is a witness to our pain and frustration, our heartache and sorrow and every tear we cry. He promises to care for us in the same way He did for Elijah. Our job is to trust Him and to keep our eyes fixed on Him and nothing else.

God promises in Isaiah 41:10 (NLV), “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

By Kristi Huseby
Used by Permission

isaiah 41:10 | Thoughts About God

When Life is Not a Christmas Card

What do we do when life is hard and we don’t know what to do?

Where is God in the Wilderness?

Have you ever been so tired that you felt you couldn’t take another step?

FURTHER READING