Thoughts of Christmas and Family

As Christmas eve and Christmas day have passed I find myself trying to recuperate my strength. Believe it or not Christmas and just about any other season that has to do with family takes a lot of me. Not because I don't enjoy the holidays or my family but because I realize how much of a struggle it is for me to keep from freely sharing with those I love the biggest part of my life: my faith. This Christmas I was celebrating the birth of my Lord, my Savior, my Prince of Peace, my Wonderful Counselor, my beautiful Mediator... yet it was so hard to share this with my family because to them Christmas isn't exactly about this. For example, I tried speaking to my Uncle about Jesus and Christmas and it didn't turn out good. The fact is I had to stop it before it got to become an argument. I wanted to cry. I wanted to cry because some of the most important people of my life do not know the greatest joy in the world and in my heart. That there is a savior for them and me, and that He loves them a lot. In these times I try to hold on the hardest to the Lord because He is the only one who can comfort me and understand me. I know that He loves me and my family. I have been seeing Him work in my sister and my mother. I have hope and faith that He will look after my nephews and niece and be the Father that they need. Tonight there was an exercise that we did while discussing a conference and it was really meditating and asking God what he thinks about us. I know that my Heavenly Father sees me as his daughter and He understands my heart. Yet I also know that He tells me to trust in Him and let Him work in me. That He needs to use me and make me in what I never really thought I could become: a leader. How does this go back to my family... sometimes I feel like I need their strength and support to do this. I need to be able to lean on them. I know that my family doesn't know better and that I need to pray for them. That in Jesus I have a spiritual family and greatest of all, Him...but still its hard. I will trust and put my faith in the Lord, our Heavenly Father and Savior. And I will pray for others who are trying to live a life of faith knowing Jesus, and yet have family members that don't believe. My heart goes out to them because I can understand how hard it can be.

Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."