Pushing through pain.

I know the holidays can bring painful reminders of family not present or family members you wish might be less present. Or if you just had wisdom teeth taken out like me, a bit of physical pain too. But whatever kind of pain you're navigating right now, I want to encourage you to focus on the good this holiday season—both in the people around you and the circumstances you have.

It's easy to get caught up in what's missing or what hurts. Trust me, I get it. Whether it's missing someone who's not at the table this year, dealing with complicated family dynamics, or literally just wanting to eat solid food again without wincing—pain has a way of demanding all our attention.

But here's what I've been reminding myself this week: pain doesn't have to be the whole story. Even when it's real and legitimate and taking up a lot of space, there's usually still something good happening alongside it. Maybe it's a conversation that went better than expected. Maybe it's finally having time to sleep in. Maybe it's just the fact that you made it through another semester, another year, another hard thing.

I'm not saying to ignore the pain or pretend it's not there. That's not helpful either. I'm just saying that focusing on the good doesn't mean denying the hard—it means choosing not to let the hard be the only thing you see.

So if you're hurting this season, whatever that looks like for you, I see you. And I'm hoping you can find small moments of good to hold onto. They might not fix everything, but they're worth noticing.

Until next week—I'm praying for you,

James

What's one good thing you've noticed this week, even if it's small?