{"id":141,"date":"2008-12-24T15:51:18","date_gmt":"2008-12-24T15:51:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/marthawilliamson\/2008\/12\/a-sad-sort-of-angry-frustratin.html"},"modified":"2008-12-24T15:51:18","modified_gmt":"2008-12-24T15:51:18","slug":"a-sad-sort-of-angry-frustratin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/marthawilliamson\/2008\/12\/a-sad-sort-of-angry-frustratin.html","title":{"rendered":"A SAD SORT OF ANGRY, FRUSTRATING, LONELY, MERRY CHRISTMAS FOR YOU?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/span> Hey! It’s Christmas! So, what are you doing at the computer?
\nI was hoping you’d be having dinner with your family or your friends, or maybe opening presents, or on your way out to someone’s house for turkey. But if you’re not, then I’m guessing you logged on because you really DID need a touch of encouragement today. Maybe the family dynamics are getting messy right now? A difficult relative. Or maybe a missing one. Maybe it’s not the “big” Christmas that other years and other economies made possible. Maybe you just don’t feel very good.<\/p>\n


\nMaybe it’s your first Christmas without someone you love. Or maybe something tells you this will be your last Christmas together. Or maybe you’re all alone and lonely. I’ve had all those Christmases, not to mention the one where the pressure cooker blew up and I spent Christmas Eve washing squash off the kitchen ceiling and my sister’s dog.
\nWhatever is going on today with you, I wanted to wish you Merry Christmas, even if it may not be as merry this year as in other years. And whatever you’re going through, don’t forget that you’re going THROUGH it, and with God’s help, you’re going to come out the other side.
\nThink of the beautiful lyrics from that haunting, sad sort of Christmas carol that even as it cries out for help still manages to sing of hope:
\n“Oh come, Oh come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appears.”
\nEmmanuel means “God with us.” That is the true gift of Christmas that will carry you through this day and all the rest of your days. YOU CAN DO THIS – You can get through this day lonely or angry or stressed or exhausted. You can do this – you can get through today not because of anything I say, but because God is with you, right beside you, if you will let Him come. You can walk back into that living room or dining room or kitchen or whatever place you have escaped from – you can turn off this computer and have – maybe not a Merry Christmas – but a Good Christmas, a Strong Christmas, a Hopeful Christmas, a Tolerant Christmas, a Peaceful Christmas with your family and friends…..or even alone.
\nBecause the truth is, you are not alone. Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!
\nWith love to all,
\nMartha<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hey! It’s Christmas! So, what are you doing at the computer? I was hoping you’d be having dinner with your family or your friends, or maybe opening presents, or on your way out to someone’s house for turkey. But if you’re not, then I’m guessing you logged on because you really DID need a touch…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holidays"],"yoast_head":"\nA SAD SORT OF ANGRY, FRUSTRATING, LONELY, MERRY CHRISTMAS FOR YOU? - A Touch of Encouragement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/marthawilliamson\/2008\/12\/a-sad-sort-of-angry-frustratin.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A SAD SORT OF ANGRY, FRUSTRATING, LONELY, MERRY CHRISTMAS FOR YOU? - A Touch of Encouragement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hey! It’s Christmas! So, what are you doing at the computer? I was hoping you’d be having dinner with your family or your friends, or maybe opening presents, or on your way out to someone’s house for turkey. But if you’re not, then I’m guessing you logged on because you really DID need a touch…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/marthawilliamson\/2008\/12\/a-sad-sort-of-angry-frustratin.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Touch of Encouragement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-12-24T15:51:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/MarthaWilliamson\/A%20Sad%20sort%20of%20Christmas.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brandi Harkonen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A SAD SORT OF ANGRY, FRUSTRATING, LONELY, MERRY CHRISTMAS FOR YOU? - A Touch of Encouragement","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/marthawilliamson\/2008\/12\/a-sad-sort-of-angry-frustratin.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A SAD SORT OF ANGRY, FRUSTRATING, LONELY, MERRY CHRISTMAS FOR YOU? - A Touch of Encouragement","og_description":"Hey! 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