Remember The Widow This Christmas

Christmas can be hard for the widowed. It is a time of deep memory, when emotions can be tender, and too near the surface. Sweet moments of the past come to revisit in flashes of light, like those that twinkle on the tree. The flashes of the past pierce the heart with joy, and pain. The loss of spouse is felt more keenly when the past is brought to the present. The loneliness that can creep in during the holidays, can cause a deeper heartache than other times of the year. The thickness of Christmas memories, can cause a flood of Christmas tears. 

Perhaps the widow is elderly, young, or somewhere in between. They might be surrounded by family, with children, or be in isolation in a hospital room. Regardless of the circumstances, the widow needs extra love during the holidays. 

Who will give it to them? 

Let us look to the widows in our lives. There are those that are in the circle of our family, neighborhoods, or community, that need our love and attention. We do not need to extend our vision too far, to find those in need of a kind gesture of love. The gesture need not be extravagant or over-the-top. It is the remembering, the validation of existence that counts. Do not be afraid to offend in your efforts. Perhaps it is long overdue. Go anyway, and God will go with you. 

I am not sure why, but I felt prompted to write this today. I tried to ignore the prompting, but it would not go away. I felt I better write, despite my reluctance. I am not trying to be preachy, I am just delivering a message from my heart; a message too close to my heart. I have been educated first-hand on the feelings of loneliness, and so my heart goes out to those who suffer the fate of the widow. I would help them all if I could: but I cannot. If we all reach out to those in our sphere, then so much joy and love can be brought to those in greatest need. 

 “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction..." (James 1:27).

Please remember the widows this Christmas.