The Light of Hope 希望之光

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Dexu Xia

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Dec 21, 2023, 1:56:12 AM12/21/23

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Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:11

My mother’s shiny red cross should have been hanging next to her bed at the cancer care center. And I should have been preparing for holiday visits between her scheduled treatments. All I wanted for Christmas was another day with my mom. Instead, I was home . . . hanging her cross on a fake tree.

When my son Xavier plugged in the lights, I whispered, “Thank You.” He said, “You’re welcome.” My son didn’t know I was thanking God for using the flickering bulbs to turn my eyes toward the ever-enduring Light of Hope—Jesus.

The writer of Psalm 42 expressed his raw emotions to God (vv. 1–4). He acknowledged his “downcast” and “disturbed” soul before encouraging readers: “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (v. 5). Though he was overcome with waves of sorrow and suffering, the psalmist’s hope shone through the remembrance of God’s past faithfulness (vv. 6–10). He ended by questioning his doubts and affirming the resilience of his refined faith: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (v. 11).

For many of us, the Christmas season stirs up both joy and sorrow. Thankfully, even these mixed emotions can be reconciled and redeemed through the promises of the true Light of Hope—Jesus.

By: Xochitl Dixon

How has Jesus helped you process grief while celebrating Christmas? How can you support someone who’s grieving this season?

Dear Jesus, thank You for carrying me through times of grief and joy all year round.

应当仰望上帝，因我还要称赞祂。祂是我脸上的光荣，是我的上帝。—诗篇42篇11节

母亲闪亮的红色十字架本应该挂在癌症护理中心的床边，而我也应该在她预定疗程的空档时间，预备去探望她，与她共度圣诞。我最想要的圣诞礼物，就是能与母亲再多相处一天。然而，我如今却在家中，⋯⋯将她的红色十字架挂在圣诞树上。

当我儿子沙维尔点亮圣诞灯饰的时候，我轻声道谢。他回答说：“不客气。”但我儿子不知道，我是在感谢上帝用闪烁的灯泡，提醒我要转眼仰望那永恒不灭的希望之光──耶稣。

撰写诗篇42篇的诗人向上帝表露了自己真实的情感（1-4节）。他首先承认自己心里“忧闷”、“烦躁”，过后他鼓励读者：“应当仰望上帝，因祂笑脸帮助我，我还要称赞祂”（5节）。尽管诗人被悲伤和痛苦所淹没，然而当他回想上帝过去的信实，就看到希望之光（6-10节）。最后，诗人还问自己为何还有疑虑，并表明已恢复了对上帝的信心，就像诗人说：“我的心哪，你为何忧闷？为何在我里面烦躁？应当仰望上帝，因我还要称赞祂。祂是我脸上的光荣，是我的上帝。”（11节）

对很多人来说，圣诞节是一个既欢乐又悲伤的节日。庆幸的是，藉着真光耶稣的应许和祂所带来的盼望，我们能坦然接受这些复杂的情绪，并将此化为力量。

作者：邓书琪

耶稣曾如何在你庆祝圣诞节时，帮助你面对悲伤的情绪？
今天，你如何鼓励那些每逢佳节倍伤心的人？