Hope. Christmas delivers.

Christmas can be a difficult season for some. It reminds us of what could have been -- of our losses.

We know. Seven years ago, just four days before Christmas, we received the shocking news that our son had died . . . by suicide.

How does a family celebrate Christmas after such a traumatic blow?

The catastrophe shifted our perspective. Christmas – the true meaning of Christmas – became more real.

You see, Christmas isn’t all about decorations and gifts, gaiety and parties, or even about special times with family and friends. Christmas, at its core, is the celebration of Hope. Of the only true -- the only eternal -- Hope in this shallow, sin-sick world. The Hope of Jesus.

Living with tragedy makes me more acutely aware of the absence of Hope apart from Christ. Because He came, I can face another holiday season. As the song says, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.”

It is only through the Hope Christ gives (and the grace and strength He is) that I can face this Christmas season or any day of the year.

Despite the deep chasm of heartache I carry, I choose to believe God is good. I believe God loves me. I believe God can be trusted. I use scriptures, memorized and meditated upon, to remind myself of Hope. All through the year.

Simple? Yes, but not always easy.

How do you keep Hope alive in your heart?