Coming on Christmas

In the movie, “You’ve Got Mail,” Meg Ryan’s character states, “It’s coming on Christmas, and I’m missing my mother so much – I can’t breathe.”
Some of us dread flipping the calendar to December. But Christmas doesn’t have to be the loneliest day of the year. Instead, it can be a day to reach out to meet the needs of others and use our solitude for service. How can we move beyond our own loneliness and find a reason to hope?
• Let others know you are feeling lonely and need companionship. Keeping your feelings private just digs a deeper hole. Plead with others to stay with you, be with you, help you through the holidays.
• Consider where you are in life. Current circumstances may have thrown you into the loneliness mode. Circumstances do change; you just have to make it through this season. Winter eventually becomes spring.
• Get involved in community service. Volunteer at a clinic for the uninsured. Serve food to the homeless. Fold bulletins at your church. Get out of the house and into someone else’s heart.
• Focus on the blessings of life. Do you have a roof over your head? Do you have food in the fridge? Double blessing! Life is good if you have shelter and food.
• Immerse yourself in inspirational music. Check out the church programs that involve music. Listening to the “Messiah” by Handel or a chorus of Christmas carols will lift your soul.
• Work on a positive attitude. Look in the mirror and practice these words, “Hi, Cutie. This is going to be a great day.” Then keep that attitude all day.
• Admit your loneliness to God. “Out of the depths I call to You, Lord…listen to my voice; let Your ears be attentive to my cry for help” (Psalm 130:1, 2). God understands your lonely heart.
It’s coming on Christmas, and the holidays are filled with joy. Whether we’re alone or surrounded by people, we can celebrate the simple fact that we’re alive for another December. Then we take a deep breath, step out of loneliness and reach for hope.