A Real Christmas Letter

We've started getting Christmas cards, which reminded me that I needed to write my annual Christmas letter. So, as I do every year, I sat down at the computer...and wondered what to write. Such letters are primarily aimed at people whom you don't see every day or every week—friends and relatives who live far away. It's a chance to "catch them up" on your life.

But in the age of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the rest, what is there to say? Many of us live our lives online. Even trying to find inspirational words is difficult for those of us who use them all up writing blogs. And so I sat there for a bit, watching the blinking cursor on my Mac taunt me, whispering, "You've got nothing."

And the cursor (mean though he is) is right! I mean, our lives are not that different from anyone else's. We get up in the morning, go to work and school, eat three meals, crash in the evening and get ready to do it all over again tomorrow morning. Who wants to read about that?

I've noticed over the years that there seem to be two general approaches to Christmas letters. One approach is to tell every single detail of life: "And then on Tuesday, we brushed our teeth..." The other approach in the minimalist path: "We had a good year, and hope you did, too." I always strive to come down somewhere between those two approaches, to tell just enough so those reading it don't get bored.

But do you know what I rarely see in Christmas letters (including my own)? Reality. We tend to put on our best selves, to mention the best things that have happened in the year and ignore the difficult things. We put on a smiley face and hide our wounds...because, sadly, we're sure that no one would care about the wounds, about the hurts. And we don't trust that they will care for us if we share those. Besides, no one wants to read a letter like that.

Thankfully, there is one who does. I can't speak for others, but I know someone who wants to hear from us not just at Christmas or during Advent, but every day of the year. He wants to hear all about the struggles and the triumphs, the wounds and the healings. We can trust him with the difficult pieces. In fact, he not only wants to hear about those things, he asks us to tell him about it all. And more than that, he wants us to give him all those things so that we don't have to carry them anymore. Peter said it this way: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).

Do you have struggles? Do you have wounds from this past year? Give them to Jesus, for he is the one who loves you no matter what you've been through. He has always been there and he will always be there. Send him your Christmas letter, and let him know what's really shaped you this year.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get my other letter written...