Christmas Letter Blues?

This is an exciting time of year to get the mail!  Our family always looks forward to hearing from old friends and family and seeing all the pictures of kids that are growing way too fast. :)  But have you ever had those days where you get a letter from an old friend and with excitement you grab a cup of coffee and curl up on the couch to hear all about their past year, and as you approach the end of the letter you are feeling like crawling into a hole because it seems as though everyone else has a perfect life, yet you continue to have struggles?  I know I have had those days!  But consider this...you get a letter from an old friend and it reads:


Dear unfaithful friends and very distant family members,
Our family (which doesn't feel like a family at all, but strangers passing in the night, as each goes his own way and does his own thing) has survived another dreadful year.  My husband was fired for the 17th time and continues to gain weight as he sits lazily in front of the TV eating foods high in hydrogenated oils and corn syrup.  Our unhappy children bicker and fight daily, which is undoubtedly the cause of my migraine headaches.  The new baby has an uncontrollable diaper rash and spits up constantly, usually projecting it all over the room.  The UPS man ran over our dog last summer. Our neighbor has cancer.  My mother-in-law hates me.  I have been constipated for three weeks straight and my antidepressant perscription just ran out!
Our lives are full of heartache and misery, and we are very ungrateful!  Hopefully we all survive another year, so we can keep in touch.
See ya-
The Sad Family

While we do need to share each others burdens, receiving a letter like that would be most discouraging!  The purpose for Christmas letters is to share with others how the Lord has blessed our lives.  We need to take the time at least once a year to write down all the things that we have to be thankful for.  There is a time and place for talking about our troubles, but most people would like to hear your testimony - how the Lord worked in the midst of your troubles!


When we get Christmas letters, we don't have to wonder if others are struggling too; nobody has a perfect life!  We should be happy for them, knowing that we all have things to be grateful for!  The Lord blesses the just and the unjust...everyone has good news that is worthy of a Christmas letter.  Let's remember to rejoice with those who rejoice, and when the time is appropriate, weep with those who weep.  We are all in this game of life together, nobody is exempt from the battle! But only those who follow the Lord will have victory in this life and the reward of being with the Lord for eternity!


One year I included a "P.S." at the end of our Christmas letter and said, "Just so you know, we are only telling you the good stuff.", because I wanted to remind people that our life is far from perfect.  So when you read your letters this year, remember that they all have a "P.S." at the end, even if you can't see it. :)