We will be home for Christmas but the weeks before, we’re enjoying a restful cruise to Hawaii and back. I am amazed at the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. I stand at my balcony and look out where there’s nothing but water as far as I can see.

 

The ship is fully decorated for Christmas. As we walk the many areas of the ship, we see people laughing and eating. They seem to be enjoying the Christmas season. Yet sometimes, just under the surface is grief. Sadness.

Although we are celebrating our anniversary, we realize some are not experiencing  joy.

We tied the knot!

Each morning when Jim and I pray together, we ask to be a light to those around us. I believe God has directed us to one woman, whose name is Wendy. She and five other people share our table at dinner. One evening, before the rest of the people came, Wendy told us her story. Her husband had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May, and died two months later. While she told us about her loss, she shed some tears. She apologized for her tears and we assured her tears are necessary in grief. That tears are actually healing tears when we grieve.

Little by little, we are learning more about Wendy. She told us she was a Christian and didn’t know how she could have survived this loss without God.

 

Years ago, I gained comfort from a passage of Scripture during sorrow:

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord  (Romans 8:38-39 NLT).

If  you are mourning this Christmas season, remember you are not alone. Nothing can separate you from the love of God. Not death. Nor life. Nor angels or demons. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. And if you are not mourning, you can celebrate this wondrous season.

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn…(O Holy Night).

May you be comforted today, whether or not you are feeling a sense of sadness. Remember, nothing can separate us from God’s love. Not death. Not life. Not angels or demons. Nothing can separate us from God’s love.

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