The Mess after Christmas

When Christmas makes a Mess

You know the feeling; heart sinks, longing; head aches, wishing; wandering, wondering, “what just happened, and why do I feel like this?”

Christmas day.

It’s a beautiful mess.  The before is astounding.  Hopes up.  Lights on.  Smiles bright.  Music playing.  Laughter and joy.  Anticipation and longing.

It comes and goes.

Like a tropical breeze so light you might miss it if you were dozing in the sun.

The Advent readings, the Candlelit services, the carols on the radio; the flannel pajamas, hot cocoa and peppermint bark, gifts tucked under a tree; shopping, eating, running, slowing, sitting, pondering.

Then it’s here.  Then it’s gone.

Sure, the day holds Joy.  It’s a Birthday.  A time to think of the Baby King.  To Honor Him.  To Love Him.  To Celebrate Him.

But if we are not careful, it becomes about us.  And being happy.  And other people.  And them being happy.  And then it gets complicated.  Yes, and messy.

The mess after Christmas is literal and figurative.  More troublesome than the dirty dishes and bags of trashed wrapping paper, is the longing that is left in our hearts.  We ache, knowing that no gift has satisfied.  None given, none received.

Oh, there was Joy.  Enjoyment.  Smiles.  Laughter.  Happiness. Merriment.  Goodness and Light.

But in a blink, it was gone.  And the feeling set in.

I used to think of it as the post-Christmas blues.  The ‘Let down’ after the ‘anticipated event.’  But now I see it for what it is.  It is thirst.

It is the thirst for righteousness that cannot be satisfied with any thing of earth, but only found in God, through the Savior, Jesus, in the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  John 4:13-14

When we try to quench our thirst with good things or people in this world, we will always continue to be thirsty.  We will not be satisfied.  We will not be content.  We will still be left longing.  Longing for complete Love, perfect Peace, unending Joy, mature Faith, the satisfying river, the thirst-quenching Righteousness.

But the Longing is good.  It is evidence of our Faith.  It is proof of our thirst for the right things.  The Right One.  The Righteous One.

And, He promises us this:  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6.

We will be filled. Abundance will be ours.  He will be our Righteousness.  He will be with us.  He will meet our need and quench our thirst.  Forever and ever.

Christmas is a reminder.

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.”  Matthew 1:23

Even His name is satisfying.  He answers our longing.  We are not alone.  He is with us.  He loves us.  He has come.  He is here.  He is coming.  He has made Himself known.  He is continuing to reveal Himself to those who will seek Him, and we will see Him fully when He comes again.  He is our Hope.  He is our Longing.  We thirst to be in His presence and appreciate the magnitude of His righteousness.

And then we will be satisfied.

Colossians 1:26-27 says that “the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.  To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

He has given us Himself, in the gift of His Holy Spirit.  We know we are His, and that our thirst for righteousness will be quenched.  He will one day overwhelm us with His presence.  Until then, we thirst.

And we look forward to the time that we will thirst no more.  “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”  Psalm 107:8-9

We are abundantly blessed that Jesus did not leave us in this world alone.  John 7:37-39 says,  “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”  By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.  Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”

So we live.  Thirsty, which is a good thing.  It’s a good thing to not be satisfied with things of this world, because we were made for so much more.  Being blessed, we can find some satisfaction now, when we take our thirst to the right source.  When we renew our mind with God’s word, and we set our heart on loving Him, then He gives us His satisfying spiritual water, quenching our thirst, meeting our need.  He even gives us an abundance of satisfying water, enough to share!  I’m betting that this spiritual water is the best gift we can give to anyone we love at Christmas, and every day of the year!