Oh, Come All Ye Faithful

Oh, Come All Ye Faithful
by Karen Beth Pike, Columnist

"Taking Care"

December 21, 2003

"…For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord…" Luke 2:11 KJV

Whatever your faith system might be, most of us believe in a Supreme Being of some kind. That being the case, we feel the need to contact that being, to report our progress, to ask for guidance and help and to share our pain and sorrow. There is a connection to divinity that we can neither fully express or explain, but those of us that know it find great peace there and know the comfort in the "peace that passes all understanding" described in the Bible.

In this space I have written on belief issues and on self-reliance and self-improvement. Today, I speak to you on faith. Believing in things not seen, and hoping for things promised since ages past. The Christmas season renews our hopes and dreams and reminds us of the One who knows us from the beginning and will be there to judge us at the end of our days.

For a very long time, I didn't believe in religion, I thought of it as a crutch to support the weak. A way for people to shirk their responsibilities for their own failings. It was a harsh view, and one that I've repented of often since those days. I've struggled and grown through my trials, and for many years I did so completely alone. I've known fear and despair and I've worked my way through those tribulations as well. Beautiful things are seldom easy, and I'm sure that the Lord has His reasons for calling me back when He did. I've learned much about compassion and healing since I've returned to a life of faith. I was not prepared for the volume of emotion that I had walled away inside my heart. There is much to be said for learning to know oneself, but there is much more value in forgetting yourself so that you may serve others instead. It took a mighty change of heart to turn myself around to see things in this way, and the Lord has helped me to accomplish this in a remarkably short time, especially considering how long and strongly I believed otherwise!

Perhaps it is human nature to come to the end of the year and to look back over the year to assess one's contributions and accomplishments over that year. I know that my measuring system has changed considerably in the last few years of my life. Gone are the wishes for grander things, now I wish for people to teach and to lead in the paths that I have found. I rest well in the knowledge that I have done my best for the people in my care, to comfort them, to share their joys and their sorrows, and to be someone that they know that they can count on. Whether it be a shoulder to cry on, a strong back for a day's work or a sounding board to help solve a problem. I'm still not anywhere near perfect in any of these things, but every day I do my best to get a little closer to the best I can be in this life.

Such a life of service is not easy; I cannot imagine that it could ever be a simple thing to give of ourselves without regard to cost or time spent. I can tell you that when I do those things, the blessings manifested are beyond all expectations I could have imagined. We are blessed for service to those in need, even when it makes our own lives more difficult. When things seem overwhelming, as they sometimes do in this holiday season, I often turn to the Scriptures, particularly these verses:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 KJV

I wish for you hope and peace in this Christmas season, and all the blessings that the Lord gives to the faithful. May we raise our voices in praise and thanksgiving as we remember the reason for the season, and celebrate the birth of the Christ child in a faraway land so long ago.

May the blessings of Christmas surround you and yours. ***

Photo of Karen Beth Pike courtesy of the author