Advent Journey

Christmas: Hope Beyond the Pain – Finding Healing in Christ’s Love

As we approach Christmas Eve and look at Jesus as our source of hope, joy, peace and love, we also take a pause to reflect on the question, can we find healing in Jesus?

I love the verse from Psalm 147:3 where it says, “He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds.” It reminds me of a time, a number of years ago, when I was in a fetal position on the floor of my townhouse, sobbing and weeping. My husband had chosen to leave our marriage, and I felt absolutely devastated, abandoned, rejected and ashamed because I was in Christian ministry. How does this happen to people like me?

I remember as I was crying, my best girlfriend came over to me, sat down beside me on the floor, and said, “Melinda, today is not your forever. Remember the verse in Isaiah which says, ‘Do not fear for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and I will help you, and I will hold you with my righteous right hand.’ Your husband may have left you and forsaken you, but God never will.”

As I reflect on healing through Jesus, I am reminded that, many times, our physical healing may not happen in this lifetime, and our complete, whole bodies will be restored in eternity with Him. What I hold on to is this: number one, today is not your forever.

This truth rang so clear to me as I thought, I have a choice. I don’t have to stay in this fetal position today. I can get up tomorrow, and the next day and the next day and the next day. Your circumstances right now don’t define your future, your circumstances right now don’t define who you are—your value, your worth. Your identity is defined through Jesus and how He sees you.

The second is, God does not forsake or leave us. When I was going through so much trauma in my life—from abusive relationships, to depression, to loss, to lost dreams, to questions about what I was going to do with my life, to being rejected and abandoned in my marriage – It was the promise of Jesus, God incarnate, that became my lifeline with His assurance that He will never leave me. As we move into Christmas, let us remember He chose to be with us, to show us the way, to love, to lead, to forgive us, to carry us, to remind us of our worth and that we are beloved.

So, this Christmas, my hope and prayer for you is that you know that in your trauma, in your struggle, in your illness, today is not your forever and that God will never leave you or forsake you during a difficult time.

I pray that as you lean into the season of hope, peace, joy and love, those will be the anchors and foundation of living out your life as you love God and love others and know that He is always with you.

Melinda Estabrooks
Executive Producer & Host | See Hear Love

Prayer:

Father God, as I embrace this season, fill my heart with Your hope, peace, joy, and love. Anchor me in the truth of who I am in You. Thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, and the healing and restoration found in Him. May I rest in Your unshakable presence. Amen.

Reflection:

God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. His healing extends beyond physical ailments to the deepest parts of our hearts. This Christmas, take time to reflect on areas where you feel wounded or overwhelmed. Invite Jesus into those spaces, trusting Him to bring restoration, peace, and complete healing.