“A Little Post-Christmas Sunshine!”
By Pastor Ron Buxton
Dark winter days can bring most people down. As the days get shorter, and the temperature gets colder, many folks seem to emotionally disconnect from normal activity. Sadly, what society has termed “the most wonderful time of the year” seems anything but that. May the following true story bring a little post-Christmas sunshine into your life.
A popular author told the story about an elderly woman named Stella Thornhope. She had just lost her husband to cancer just a few days prior to Christmas, so she decided to not even decorate for the holidays. She was so sad and lonely without her precious soul-mate of many decades.
Late one afternoon, her doorbell rang. It was a delivery man with a most unusual package. It was a six-week old puppy that she was assured had already been house-trained.
“Who sent this?”, inquired Mrs. Thornhope.
“Here’s a card that comes with the puppy”, replied the young delivery man.
She opened up that card as tears began to fill her eyes. The card was written by her late husband. You see, he had written it just before he died, and had directed the kennel to deliver the hand-picked puppy on the day before Christmas! It was his way of brightening her holidays–knowing that he wouldn’t be there for her. The note also told her that the dog was meant to keep her company until they were reunited in heaven.
As you can imagine, Mrs. Stella Thornhope quickly began to decorate her house for Christmas. Hope had arrived in the form of a puppy! The dull ache of living in a lonely world had just dissipated, as a little soul-warming sunshine had entered her heart and her home!
It is a scientific fact that the weeks following Christmas can be very difficult and even depressing. I mentioned that in my very first paragraph of this article. Seasonal Affective Disorder (or the acronym S.A.D.) is a very real problem to millions of people. And researchers equate that the reduced sunlight of the winter months is to blame, and has a very negative effect on mental health.
I chose that earlier “feel-good” story for a purpose. My heart goes out to you, if you’re experiencing any extra sadness this time of year. No doubt, the colder weather doesn’t seem to help either. Please allow me to share something better than a new puppy dog with you today.
Christ called Himself “the Light of the world” in John 8:12. And He said this right after meeting a woman who was at a very low place in her life. How low? Well, she was publicly being humiliated and even facing a public stoning! It can’t get much lower than that! But Jesus changed her life. That’s why He is the Light of the world! Could you use some “sunshine”–or better said– “Sonshine” for your soul right now? Nothing beats the winter blues like faith in Christ!
