Christmas Fibro

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
             - Colossians 3:12
 
"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
             - 1 Thessalonians 5:11
 
"Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
                - Galatians 6:2
 

I have fibromyalgia.  Just to look at me, I seem perfectly fine, for a 62 year old woman that is.  Most of the time I look and act like there is nothing at all wrong.  But the truth is, it's always there.  Some days are good and some are not.  I try not to let others see or know, or let it influence my life.

I have thought a lot about that during this Christmas season. My reason for that will be clearer later.   We are in full swing, aren't we?  As Christians, we try to be sure we keep Christ in the center of our celebrations.  Still,  we are all affected by the emotions and hype of the holiday.  You know, the warm fuzzies of spending time with our families, everyone happy and grateful, nothing goes wrong.....yeah right. A perfect Christmas.

To be honest, I get a bit depressed during Christmas time.  I don't know, I guess it's because nothing and no one can live up to all the hype.  I don't know about you, but my family is not perfect.  There are difficult people to deal with, presents that aren't perfect, schedules that are impossible.  There are people who won't be here that used to be.  To be honest with you, I'm kind of glad when it is over.  I'm pretty sure that's not that completely unheard of.  Christmas can be a tricky time.

When we are thinking about others at Christmas time, it's easy to see the ones who are obviously hurting during this season.  Homeless people begging by the side of the road.  Those in hospitals who are fighting a difficult illness or those who are fighting for their lives.  The kids who don't have coats on the playground at school. 

But there are others we need to think about.  There are a lot of people out there with Christmas Fibro.  Sure, they look festive and happy on the outside.  But inside,  they know that estranged family member won't be there that Christmas.  They may realize they will possibly be alone on Christmas.  Many are in the midst of an illness or diagnosis you may  not know about.  A family might be in crisis.  Maybe a looming divorce or possible lost job.   But it's Christmas, right?  A time you should be happy and carefree, and totally at peace.  So some  people with Christmas Fibro put on that smile, act like it's all ok, and go on.  But there's another side to this coin.

What about the sales clerk who's rude and obnoxious?  The guy who cuts us off in traffic?  The person who gives us constant grief, either with their attitude or behavior?  Even though they appear to be unfeeling, totally difficult people, they also have a form of "Fibro".  Although the opposite of the others, the appearance they give us is also covering up some type of pain underneath.  I don't think there are many difficult people who are not acting out of a hurt or some type of pain they have experienced.  They are truly victims of Fibro as well. 

As Christ followers, we are called to remember others before ourselves.  At Christmas, I believe part of our calling is to be sensitive about those who face a "less than perfect"  Christmas.   It doesn't really matter if they are the "grin and bear it" people, or the "in your face" people.  There are tons of hurting people, and at Christmas any pain becomes magnified tenfold.

Because we know Christ, we have a responsibility to everyone with some type of Fibro.  The scriptures from Colossians, Galatians, and 1 Thessalonians remind us to exhibit compassion, kindness, to build others up , to carry each others' burdens.  At Christmastime, that might look like a lot of different things.  Maybe like some of these:
  • Remembering not to brag about our Christmas activities too much......someone listening may know they are alone this year
  • Having patience with those who are rude or obnoxious......they may be dealing with something we couldn't possibly imagine
  • Extending grace to people in our families who are difficult....there's probably a reason, and we may not know it
I'm sure you can think of other situations as well.  The bottom line is, because we have been given the greatest gift ever, it's the least we can do to extend compassion and kindness to others.  It's what we're called to do.  So, who can you think of who might have Christmas Fibro?  We have a treatment for them......extend it this Christmas.  We honor that Baby when we do.

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