“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her.” Luke 1:45
For me, December can be a minefield.
I’m forced to navigate feelings and memories I’d rather not face. This California girl loves her sunshine. The shorter days and chilly nights leave me melancholy. The dry air makes my hands dry and cracked. By mid-November, I’m longing for Spring. December is my birth month. When I was younger, it seemed special to be born at Christmas—until someone gave me a “combo gift.” Now in my fifties, loss, fear, and regret mark the passage of time. December is the anniversary of my dad’s and sister’s deaths.
I suspect that there are many of you out there trying to walk through the holidays, yet lacking the happiness that our culture and churches say we should feel. Proverbs says our heart knows pain that others know not. I want you to know, I get you. Even better, God gets you. He understands your topsy-turvy emotions, your expectations about what Christmas should be –and your disappointment that those expectations may fall short.
But God does give beauty for ashes and a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3). I know because He has been the lifter of my head and the comforter of my soul in these past weeks. It’s funny. When you’re honest before God and others about how you feel, it helps. It’s okay not to be okay because with God you’re going to be okay. All those feelings and memories and regrets? God will redeem them. He’s allowing me to use this season to help others through a book I’m writing called “Scarred Like Him: Seeing the Beauty in the Life You Live.” I’m schedule to finish it by March 1, 2021. I can’t wait to share it with you.
I also can’t wait to share the Christmas concert from Maria and I in this new edition of the Denise’s Healing Journey Newsletter. Inside you’ll find some updates and books to help you on your journey of healing. I appreciate you being here and bravely taking the journey with us. Blessings and Merry Christmas to you and those you hold dear. See you in 2021!
–Denise Ann Goosby
Updates
—The free downloadable e-book, “A Time for Every Matter,” is available at denisegoosby.com.
—If you’re looking for books to help you with your journey of healing, I highly recommend the following:
“Take heart: 100 Devotions to Seeing God When Life’s Not Okay” from (in) courage
“Your Story Matters” by Leslie Leland Fields” from Nav Press
“Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity” by Saundra Dalton-Smith MD from Faith Words/Hachette Book Group
“Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation” by Latasha Morrison from Waterbrook
—“She Writes for Him: Stories of Living Hope” includes an article I wrote about my mom. This inspiring book includes pieces on overcoming addiction, cancer, and mental illness. It is scheduled to be published January 26, 2021. Look for giveaways and promotional activities in January and February.
