*Sarpali.us

I love Christmas. I always have. For many people, however, the holidays can be a time of deep pain and struggle. The world kind of pretends like everything is great around this time of year, but the truth is the same challenges and sufferings of September carry on through New Year's day.

As a kid, and to some degree now, my favorite part about Christmas is the anticipation. My wife and I share in this with our own children now as we hope and dream and expect together.

Then Christmas day comes and it's everything we hoped it would be. Then the day after Christmas comes and it's only so-so.

In the same way our celebration of Christmas should be a recognition of God sending his Son to his people, my reflection on this feeling of anticipation (and the subsequent letdown) should be a reminder of the hope we have that God will bring his people to his Son.

There will be no letdown.

Our anticipation of what really matters, namely our final blissful reunion with our Savior, is what we ought to spend our time focusing on and reflecting on. This is not only for the holidays, but for our very life. Consider Hebrews 10:23-25:

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

The post-Christmas letdown ought to be an opportunity for us to remind ourselves, and one another, to hold fast to the confession of our hope. We indeed enjoy the blessing of salvation here on earth, but it is nothing compared to the glory we will enjoy forever in heaven with Jesus.

We will not suffer. We will not struggle. We will not shed tears of sorrow or pain.

We will not be let down.