A Season of Longing
In this season often called a time of joy, many people (dare I say most of us?) struggle with the disappointments of unmet expectations, as well as sadness about the realities of life in our world.
This past year we have seen more and more relational and national schisms stemming from political differences. Violence and hate seem to be even more prevalent in our communities, states, nation, and world. To add to this, I know many people wrestling with loss: loss of a spouse, health, a job, a marriage or relationship. There are places in the world right now where the joy of Christmas and the holiday season are eclipsed by war, sickness, persecution, hunger, and death.
In the grim realities of our world, we long for a time when things seemed calmer, more peaceful, stable, and satisfying to our souls. The advertisements that paint a picture of seasonal perfection are not only unrealistic, but in my view are also untruthful. They cause many people to feel that they must be flawed or out of touch because they don’t experience the warmth and peace that ads tell us we are “supposed” to feel.
We long for more. We long for stability.
A couple of years ago I met a man who escaped Ukraine with his wife and daughter, while losing his house, truck, and business in the bombings of that war. While He talked of being grateful to have settled here in our community, I could only imagine the horrors he saw and his longing to have a safe home for his wife and child.
He was longing for a “stable” place in life. That meeting, and other events in the world, inspired this song that I recorded and was later turned into a video. “Longing for the Stable” is not only about what happened 2,000 years ago, but also about us today. Here is the link to the YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzHsgQ8PsEg&list=RDmzHsgQ8PsEg&start_radio=1
I don’t claim to understand why things are the way they are. The instability of this life touches us all. I’m convinced that our only hope, the one I cling to and rest upon, is God. He alone can fulfill the deepest longings of our heart. I know this from personal experience and pray that you will seek and find God in the midst of the unsettledness of life—this season and throughout the seasons of life.
God bless you!
Chris Atkins