Good news! This expression is familiar to us. How often have you heard, “Well, I have good news and bad news. What would you like to hear first?” The other night, we celebrated my granddaughter’s birthday at our house and decided to order pizza for everyone. My text said, “Good news! Your pizza order is on the way!” I laughed at the exuberant message and read it out loud.

I’m also fascinated by good news for some can mean sadness for others. Like a friend moving away to their dream job or a child being accepted to their college of choice, but it is across the country. Or, perhaps, my mom’s example of her ultimate homecoming. “This will be good news, Anna!” I remind her that I will rejoice that you are in your heavenly home while also grieving the loss of someone I love dearly. Holding two separate thoughts or truths simultaneously is called cognitive dissonance.

As we celebrate the holidays ahead, we embrace the good news of Immanuel– God with us!

“Wonderful news indeed! This wonderful news goes beyond the simple joys of gifts, lights, and
snowfall. It’s bigger than the love of family and friends. Long before the first Christmas,
God gave His good news to the prophet, Isaiah, saying,
“…the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall
conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.” (The Heights Christmas Program and Reading, December 2023)

Yet, we still experience the dissonance of human relations, loss, physical challenges, and all the emotions God gave us. We are not exempt from bad news and good news scenarios.

“We often feel alone, even at – or maybe especially at the holidays. We long to push back the dark, to bind up the brokenness, but the task is too great for us. We are not able. In fact, we often contribute to the brokenness. But God. God so loved the world that He sent us a gift. He sent Jesus as that baby in the manger. The ultimate gift is God’s presence in our lives, the gift of salvation, an answer to the brokenness.” (The Heights Christmas Program and Reading, December 2023)

If I were sitting with you over coffee or tea, we could talk about the good news and maybe how life has changed for you. What are you dealing with and trying desperately to overcome or manage? How can you recognize your contribution to the brokenness with self-compassion and expose the benefit of our humility, empathy for others, and grace?

The gift of Jesus, an answer to the brokenness.

I’ve had a year of broken pieces coming together in the most beautiful vessel of hope. The Bible tells us that “hope deferred makes the heart sick,” yet God is still working in the waiting, and hope is alive. The dissonance of seeing with your eyes the reality and walking out your faith.

Good news! Can I share some of my good news with you? I have to celebrate and rejoice!

My youngest has gone from searching and stumbling through college to a semester of engagement, excitement about her learning and future, and ending the year with grades showing her hard work.

My granddaughter, Autumn, had her first birthday in our home. A homecoming of love, connection, and joy.

I took my granddaughter to her Woman of Worth Christmas Party. This is the next generation of WOW, and what joy to see the legacy continued through my oldest daughter and her friend.

I’m blessed beyond measure with friends who lift, support, and love me. 

My husband and I have not perfected marriage, but we are reconciling and recognizing a transition as we move into the 35 years of marriage. This is hard work. Our trip to Italy had more good than bad news; the experience was life-changing.

These are a few of my good news stories. They are personal to me and, perhaps, uneventful to you as the reader; however, I hope you can spend some quiet time reflecting on your year in the light of the ultimate gift in your life–God with us. If you find it hard to do because you are very much “in the waiting,” then hold on to hope in your grief or anxiety. Hope can help us get up in the morning, take another step, and help us walk out our faith.