I love, love, love this time of year. From Thanksgiving to New Years is like Happyville for me. Right about the time I start figuring what size turkey to get for dinner, I can feel a change right here. It’s small at first, but it continues to grow each day….like a little spotlight. Its diameter increasing, getting larger and larger, brighter and brighter, warmer and warmer until it encompasses all of me. For so many years I didn’t think much about it; I just went with it. Then many years ago I read a poem by Emily Dickson. The first line says,
“ Hope is the thing with feathers -That perches in the soul.”
Then I knew. That’s what I was feeling. Hope. I fell in love with the poem and hold it steadfastly in my heart.
And I realized that the REASON I felt hope every year, always being renewed at this time of year, was because of the birth of the Savior.
Luke 2:11 & 12 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.”
So, like Moroni says in Chapter 7 v 40 “I would speak unto you concerning hope”.
This baby is hope. Hope wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. Hope for the world. Hope for the suffering and sick. Hope for the downtrodden, the forgotten, the homeless and the helpless. Hope for the widow, the weak and the warriors. Hope for a world at war, governments split down the middle and families fighting at the dinner table. This baby is the hope of this world and the world to come.
James E. Faust said, “Hope is the anchor of our souls. I know of no one who is not in need of hope—young or old, strong or weak, rich or poor. As the prophet Ether exhorted, ‘Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men’…”
Nephi admonished those of his day, “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope..”
That’s what I feel…that little spotlight that shines in my soul beginning at Thanksgiving…that’s a perfect brightness of hope. And, it’s because of Christmas.
In researching “hope” I was perusing Guidepost Magazine’s online entries. When I came upon this article that started out with Emily Dickson’s poem, I knew I was on to something! Then upon reading the 7 suggestions, I knew I had to share it with you.
“Christmas inspires hope. The symbols and stories surrounding the birth of Jesus whisper, “Don’t give up. Keep going. You can make it. Here are just a few of the ways Christmas teaches lessons of hope and optimism.
1) Follow the North Star An epiphany refers to a sudden realization about the meaning of something. It’s inspiration – from an intuitive place that is charged with wisdom. For Christians, the Epiphany is associated with the visit of the Wise Men to Jesus. They were guided by the Star of Bethlehem that heralded the newborn king of the Jews. The Epiphany teaches us to trust our North Star, the voice inside of us that is guided by the Spirit and will direct us to goodness and truth. The story of the Magi inspires hope that if we follow our epiphanies, we will, like the Wise Men, arrive at the place we were meant to be.
2) Believe If you watch the Macy’s Parade on Thanksgiving morning, you’ll see the unmistakable backdrop with the word “Believe.” Christmas is about believing in things that defy logic: the Son of God being born to a virgin in a stable filled with farm animals. This holy season prompts us to become childlike in our faith: to think with our hearts rather than our brains, to embrace a world beyond our own, trusting that God is with us every day. Christmas inspires faith – in God and in His goodness, truth, and beauty that are very real but not always visible.
3) Say Yes Perhaps the greatest story of courage ever told was Mary’s three-word response to the angel Gabriel when he explained to her that she would bear the Son of God. “Let it be,” she said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord.” With great humility, she opens herself to God’s will and submits to His plan, even though she knows none of the details. By uttering her Fiat (Latin for “Let it be”) she initiates the Christmas story and the arrival of God into human history. Mary’s response also generates hope for all believers – that by saying yes to God we participate in the Christian story and find meaning that sustains us.
4) Talk to Your Angels The angel Gabriel may not appear to us as vividly as he did to Mary, but we are all surrounded by angels that we can call on for guidance and assistance whenever we need it. Like an inspired GPS system, they help navigate the way, getting us from Point A to Point B, if we choose to access their help. Christmas reminds us of the active presence of angels in our lives. They sit at the top of decorated trees as beacons of hope sending the message that we are not alone.
5) Embrace Your Royalty Purple or violet has traditionally been the color of Advent. It symbolizes an anticipation of the coming King, as well as royalty and nobility. The first candle of the Advent Wreath is the Candle of Hope, representing the arrival of something new and profound. Advent teaches us to anticipate the good things that we can’t see and to remember the presence of the royal King in our lives, who bestows upon us gifts beyond measure. As sons and daughters of God, we are part of the royal family. REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE.
6) Consider the Evergreen Evergreens decorate our homes during Christmas, reminding us of the promise of everlasting life and our ability to weather hardship. The evergreen remains unchanged through the seasons, inspiring a message of hope to persevere through adversity. The Christmas tree is a symbol of Christ, the miracle of Christmas, and God’s gift of life and hope. The green boughs on a Christmas wreath or a garland point us the perennially freshness of life — that even when we feel as though our world is crumbling or falling apart, there is always an element of newness and rebirth. An element of hope.
7) Persist in Darkness Light shines brightest in darkness. That’s the heart of the Christmas story, an overriding message of hope that is articulated beautifully in the lyrics of “O Holy Night”: “O holy night, the stars are brightly shining, It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.” God didn’t come into our world at high noon. He entered our lives in darkness — showing us the way to light, guiding us towards love, and demonstrating how to overcome shadows and blackness. Christmas teaches us that even when things seem dark, we can trust the everlasting light.”
Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar with wings like eagles: They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
The word wait in Hebrew means “hope”. Those who HOPE in the Lord will renew their strength.
It’s interesting to me that hope and wait are used in this passage because wait seems the exact opposite of hope. Have you ever waited for something and the wait was excruciating? Waiting on Christmas. Waiting on birthdays. Waiting on the bathroom! But, when you replace wait with hope, it changes the entire dynamic of the wait. It changes worry and angst into joy and uplifting.
But hope and waiting can go hand in hand. We can wait because we have hope. We wait on Jesus’ timing because our hope is in Him and Him alone. HOPE is the very essence of Christmas. The scriptures are full of generations waiting for the Messiah. Waiting and watching and praying they would live to see the day that baby was born. All that hoping. And then there it was. Christmas. God with us.
None of us like to wait; especially if we’re unhappy, miserable or tormented. But we can be filled with the hope tomorrow promises. The hope the New year promises.
Prayers answered, friendships renewed and deepened. Jobs found. Families strengthened. Miracles arriving.
1 Peter 3:15 …”be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you…”
As Emily Dickinson says…that hope that is perched within your soul…
My reason for that hope, my reason for smiling for no reason, my reason is that baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.
Whatever your circumstances, your finances, family or friends, your home, health, school or work situations; regardless of whatever kind of pain, or loneliness or misery you’re in grab onto HOPE. Hold on to that HOPE in the Lord and the promise of strength Isaiah tells us about.
Christmas is hope. The baby in swaddling clothes brings hope.
Let’s join hands….let’s take our Savior’s hand and go forward into the New Year with renewed hope and faith that only He can provide.