“How inexpressibly sad are all holidays.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote these words in his journal on Christmas, 1861. The poet, known for such classics as “Paul Revere’s Ride” and “The Song of Hiawatha,” had good reason to be sad that Christmas. The previous July, his wife, Fanny (whom he openly adored), had been sealing a keepsake lock of their daughter’s hair in wax when a gust of wind through the window caused her dress to catch fire. Longfellow severely burned his face and hands attempting to extinguish the fire, but Fanny’s burns were so severe she died the next day.
That same year, civil war had torn the country in two. Longfellow’s son Charles joined the Union forces. The following year, he wrote on Christmas, “I can make no record of these days. Better leave them wrapped in silence. Perhaps someday God will give me peace.”
Many readers will not have to imagine the pain of the first or second Christmas celebrated without a loved one because they know it only too well. Or you may know the anxiety of spending Christmas while your loved one lives in harm’s way. You can imagine how Henry Longfellow felt when he heard that his son had been wounded in the war. By Christmas 1864, the country had been at war for three years and thousands had lost their lives. The great poet sat down to write a poem that began, “I heard the bells on Christmas day….”
This poem (which has since become a well-known carol) begins cheerily enough, speaking of bells as a harbinger of peace. But the poet’s heart is not as light as the bells’ toll, and he writes honestly:
And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
Perhaps you remember some Christmas when reality seemed to mock any talk of peace or joy or family harmony. Longfellow had good reason to question whether there would ever be peace on earth, whether his family would ever feel whole again. But he knew that appearances can be deceiving; he did not end on a note of despair:
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”
GOD IS NOT DEAD, NOR DOTH HE SLEEP. Although we may have good reason to be sad, we do not have ultimate reason to be sad. Though it may appear that God is sleeping, He isn’t. The Israelites waited through centuries of captivity for their Messiah, but in the fullness of time, he came. When he left, he did not promise that our waiting would be easy, but he promised that it would have an end. When the weight of the present tempts you to bow your head in despair, look up towards the future, towards the one who will bring justice to the earth.
________
Copyright © 2006 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. “A Slice of Infinity” is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.
[see also #14974 and #26311]