Dealing with Disappointment this Christmas?

Christmas, often heralded as the most wonderful time of the year, is synonymous with joy, warmth, and togetherness. Many get excited to put up decorations, look at pretty light displays, take time to have a break from the everyday routine of life, and spend time with loved ones. It really is a special time in so many ways.

However, for many, the holiday season can also bring feelings of disappointment, and I also feel a sense that many are experiencing a level of disappointment at this time that might be even greater than normal. That disappointment can come from many places. I believe that for many at the moment there is a sense that 2024 has not gone as anticipated, that perhaps goals and dreams you had have not been reached, or life has thrown unexpected curveballs. Some have even felt like they have missed opportunities and let God down or disappointed Him in some way, or He has abandoned them. Disappointment can take many forms.

As I was thinking about this, I was drawn to Mary, and I began wondering if she had experienced disappointment in her own life. Think about her experience. She was told by an angel that she was going to give birth to the Son of God. What an incredible calling! However, we find her nine months later having to travel to Bethlehem while heavily pregnant, going into labour in a faraway town, and having to have a baby in a filthy stable as, despite Joseph’s best efforts, there was no accommodation available for them. I couldn’t help but feel that it is possible that the reality of her situation may not have met her hopes or expectations. Perhaps she felt like she was letting God down by not being able to provide a pleasant place to give birth to the Saviour of the world.

But, despite that, Jesus showed up. He was born, and the angels and the world celebrated. Shepherds came from the nearby fields to worship him, and wise men came from the east to give precious gifts to a precious King. These things had a profound impact on Mary, as several times in Scripture it says that ‘Mary treasured these things in her heart.” The disappointment did not get in the way of what God birthed into the world.

I believe the encouragement for us can be twofold. Firstly, we can rest in the reality that Jesus came despite things not going how Mary might have anticipated things would go. Secondly, we can also take hope in the reality that no disappointment or setback will get in the way of what God might be wanting to birth in your life.

If you are wrestling with disappointment, why don’t you take some time right now to make a list of those disappointments in your life, and invite Jesus into those places to show you what He is doing or what He is going to do in and through those things?