Empty Seats

The holiday season has arrived, and in these difficult times, we yearn for more joy, light, and hope. That’s why Americans spent almost 10 billion dollars online on Black Friday this year. Despite feeling sad, broken, and alone, we all want to experience happiness, peace, and love. However, this year, many of us will be missing loved ones at the dinner table.

As human beings, we are wired for relationships. We desire to be a part of families and cherish the love and affection that comes with it. It is widely accepted that money and material possessions cannot replace the happiness and comfort of a happy home. However, we have been deceived into thinking that we are meant to live for ourselves, prioritizing our own comfort above all else. This harmful idea seeps in and destroys families, leaving empty chairs around the table. We want to be right and feel the privilege of autonomy. If someone disagrees with us, we cancel them. If someone makes us uncomfortable, we shut them out of our lives.

As the saying goes, “Pride comes before a great fall” (Proverbs 16:18). We all know this, yet when it comes to putting our pride aside and submitting ourselves to others, we struggle. We decorate our homes and spend money to show them off on social media, but our chairs remain empty. We sense our foolishness and understand that we’re about to fall from a great height, yet we continue to silence anyone who may make us feel uncomfortable. And no voice is silenced more in our society than the most vulnerable of us – the unborn.

There are a lot of families who may be mourning the empty chairs of the guests they never met. The aunts, cousins, daughters, sons, and grandchildren of a forgotten generation will not be around to fill up the empty places in our hearts. And in their place, a load of regret and unfulfilled dreams. Families who choose abortion over the inconvenience of parenthood or the sacrifice of caring for their offspring miss out on so much. Life is beautiful. Families are a blessing. And “children are an inheritance from the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). So this Christmas, we can fill our homes with holiday cheer and deck the halls, but families who are missing these guests are silently grieving.

But there is hope. There is always hope. That is what Christmas is all about! Just when the world was at its darkest point, a light shone, and a baby cried. That blessed hope was born to be our “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus brings true joy, light, and hope that we all desperately need. If you or someone you know is struggling with grief this Christmas, don’t hide away. You are not alone. Please reach out to us by emailing hopehouse@hopehousecares.org or call (229) 890-5244. There is hope for you and real help beyond the sparkling lights and the empty seats.