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Dec 17
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The Tensions of Christmas

By Christmas, Comfort, Doubt, Murder, Obedience, Salvation, Second Coming, Waiting No Comments

For many, images of glowing lights, nostalgic carols, bountiful tables, and family gatherings are synonymous with Christmas. Jubilant declarations of peace on earth and good will toward men warm our hearts with the hope of Jesus Christ. Yet, amidst our celebrations is a dark underbelly that, though suppressed, competes for our attention every December. The tension between the nativity story’s promises and the world’s fallen realities can be jarring.

Thus, in what is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, our grief feels sharper. Our burdens seem heavier. Our conflicts appear more irreparable. Our brokenness becomes impossible to mask. Loneliness chases us mercilessly at Christmas. The deafening silence of an empty chair at the family table exposes our hidden sorrow. Our anguish, doubt, and anxiety compound while the world around us makes merry. The burdens of life can easily steal our festive joy.

These tensions should not surprise us.

We quickly forget that imperial injustice forced Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem on the first Christmas, making their already impoverished lives more difficult (Luke 2:1-7). Once they arrived, there was no room nor compassion for them at the local inn. All the while, in the background, were harsh, gossipy believers who reeked of superiority as they whispered about a pregnancy mistakenly assumed to be illegitimate. Circumstances like these were hardly joyful or triumphant.

In the months following our Savior’s birth, Herod plotted Jesus’ demise even as magi from the east were anxious to celebrate His arrival (Matt. 2). Matthew’s account of Bethlehem’s welcome reception for Jesus is nothing like a sentimental postcard, but abounds with jealousy, injustice, sin, and suffering instead. The contrasting hatred of King Herod with the hopeful presence of the wisemen exposes the same tension we often feel at Christmas even today (Matt. 2:1-12).

The good guys and villains in this familiar story are easy to identify. Perceiving the Christ child as a threat to his fragile kingdom, Herod plots to kill the toddler (Matt. 2:8). Equally offensive in the narrative are the religious leaders who knew exactly where the Messiah would be born but refused to worship Him due to their own insecurities (Matt. 2:4-6). The ordeal is not without hope, though. The presence of the magi is proof that Jesus would be a Savior for Jew and Gentile alike. Their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were fitting for the newborn King (Matt. 2:9-11).

The point is not, however, that we should celebrate some while loathing others. Matthew wants us to stop and consider who we are more like. Do we put our hope in Jesus, or do we express hate for Jesus? Before answering, we should acknowledge that the answer may not be as simple as it seems.

Far too often we are much more like Herod than we care to admit. Without scriptural diligence, we may very well worship a god made in our own image rather than the biblical Jesus. One who exists to make us happy. One who requires nothing of us and gives everything to us. One who is anxious to build our kingdom rather than his own. Could this be why we love the festivities of the season, but scoff at the notion of God’s holiness? Or that we are willing to bellow out Christmas hymns while simultaneously enjoying our blatant disobedience to God’s Word?

We might sing O Little Town of Bethlehem without having any interest in worshipping Jesus in every place, every day. We might sing O Holy Night without the slightest intention of living a life of holiness and obedience. We might sing Away in a Manger without being anxious for God to have His way in our lives. We might even ask Mary Did You Know? while never considering what we know and how it impacts our daily lives. Like Herod, we can easily be guilty of craving our own kingdom and doing anything to get it. Like the chief priests and scribes, we might choose to ignore what we know from Scripture simply because it interferes with our lust for power or influence.

And this is precisely the problem.

Tipping our hat toward Christ is not equal to bowing to Him as our King. Our Savior requires more than our leftovers. Mere acknowledgment of Jesus for the sake of the season is not salvation. He desires to be more than a good luck charm that justifies any means we choose in pursuit of our goals and aspirations. Christ refuses to be remade in our image. Part of the tension we feel is due to our chasing dreams that are outside of His will. Herod may very well be staring back at us in the mirror.

But, even when our lives resemble the worshipful hope of the wisemen, we remain in a broken world where many of God’s promises have yet to be realized. Sinful consequences obnoxiously obscure the comforting future reserved for the saints. Thus, we find ourselves waiting for what will be even though it currently is not. The tension is real, but Christmas is an invitation to keep going when you do not understand God’s ways, do not agree with His timing, and do not feel His presence.

Adam B. Dooley
December 17, 2025

Sep 10
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The Hidden Blessing Behind Life’s Pain

By Anxiety, Christian Living, Comfort, Grief, Trials 2 Comments

If you live outside of Jackson, Tennessee, you are likely unfamiliar with the name Ann Marie Kelley. Those of us who call this community home, however, recognize her as a bit of a local hero. Diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2021, her initial prognosis was bleak. Yet, with the innovation and progress of modern medicine as His means, God supernaturally healed Ann Marie’s body of all cancer, giving her a new lease on life.

In the years following those dark days, Ann Marie has worked tirelessly to bless others who face the devastation of similar diagnoses. She decided to deliver smoothies to chemotherapy patients monthly, realizing how difficult it is to eat while enduring these treatments. Next, she organized daily transportation for patients unable to drive themselves to and from doctor appointments.

Then, three years ago, Ann Marie created Swinging for Hope, an annual golf tournament which raises money for the Kirkland Cancer Center. Remarkably, in just 36 months, fundraising efforts have grown rapidly, surpassing the $500,000 mark. At their core, these initiatives are a living testimony that God comforts us so that we may, in turn, comfort others with the strength He gives (2 Cor. 1:3-4). With her Christian faith as the anchor of her life, Ann Marie is seeking to be a conduit of God’s blessings. Because she received so much from the Lord, she is eager to give just as much to others.

And rightly so.

Within the providence and provision of the Lord, our worst trials and burdens often become the pathway to our greatest impact and blessings. The same problems which initially cause us to doubt God’s goodness unexpectedly turn into the platforms from which we declare God’s glory. The notion that our Savior’s breaking us precedes His using us appears over and over again in Scripture.

Joseph suffered unjustly in a prison for over a decade before God raised him up to feed all of Egypt during a time of famine (Gen. 37-50). Prior to leading Israel out of Egypt, the great leader Moses spent 40 years in exile due to his recklessness (Ex. 2:15-25). The glory of King David came only after he spent around seven years hiding from his predecessor (see 1 Samuel). Paul served as the mighty apostle to the Gentiles, but only while living with a continual thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Most important of all, the glory of Jesus’ resurrection required the agony of His cross and the hopelessness of His grave beforehand (Mark 15:22-47).

In all of these instances, the resulting fruit and benefit for others came from walking with the Lord, not away from Him, during the darkest of circumstances. Doing so allows us to embrace the opportunity of sharing the divine comfort we receive with those around us. While the purposes behind our pain are many, most of which remain hidden outside the perspective of eternity, one source of sanity through hardship is knowing that a greater good can emerge (Rom. 8:28).

All around us are people who realized that what the enemy meant for evil, God orchestrated for good (Gen. 50:20). Consider Lisa Reasons, who leads the new adoption agency of Birth Choice ministry here in Jackson. Behind her education and effectiveness, it is easy to miss the tremendous burdens she has overcome. As an infant she lay with little attention or affection for the first year of her life in an orphanage. Even after being adopted through the foster system, Lisa frequently struggled to connect with others due to her previous lack of attachment as a child. When her adoptive father died during her teenage years, she had to wrestle with being alone all over again.

Little did Lisa know that these painful years were the preparation she needed to adopt her son, Clay, who faced similar struggles. Likewise, her unique compassion for hurting families, born out of personal struggles, has uniquely equipped Lisa to lead an adoption agency. Truly, the complexities of her past served as the doorway to her future.

Across town, at The Dream Center, a ministry designed to serve women in crisis, Director Gail Gustafson traveled a similar path. After growing up in an abusive home, her life was sidetracked by addiction. It took 35 years before Christ changed her life, but the grace of God ultimately overtook her. Today, Gail sees herself in the women she serves and feels called to help them find freedom in Jesus Christ. Understanding the heartache hurting women face is the key to her effectiveness as a faith leader.

Isn’t all this just like our great God?

In our moments of greatest despair, God is preparing eternal glory for us that far exceeds our present struggles (2 Cor. 4:17-18). We face constant affliction, bewilderment, and even persecution, yet without despair or destruction in order to put the power of our Savior on display (2 Cor. 4:7-10). And, as God pours into us, we have incredible opportunities to pour into others. Our deepest valleys have a way of elevating us to new heights of service and significance.

Let’s remember, especially on our worst days, that God has a plan for each of us. As He works in us, He is likely preparing to work through us. Some trials are simply too painful to waste. So, when the dawn breaks, be ready to share the spoils of your struggle with others. Let’s encourage and build one another up, knowing that heartaches do not have the final say (1 Thess. 5:9-11). Drawing from the well of our past victories, let’s do what is good and helpful for others, especially those in the family of faith (Gal. 6:10).

Adam B. Dooley
September 10, 2025

Jul 08
Love0

Unexpected Blessings in Dark Places

By Christian Living, Comfort, Faithfulness, Gratitude, Sovereignty, Trials, Uncategorized No Comments

How can we make this work? My wife fought back tears as she tried to process the mixed emotions that gripped her. We sat in what felt like eternal silence, occasionally looking at one another but without words to articulate our feelings. During the darkest valley of our adult lives, this news was the last “blessing” we expected to receive.

 This week marks 15 years since childhood cancer rocked our world. Those were tough days due to a regimented and exhausting routine. Because we lived in Mobile, AL then, every Tuesday we boarded an early flight to Memphis, TN for my oldest son’s weekly chemotherapy at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Usually arriving before dinner, we ate a quick meal at what was formerly the Grizzly House (now Tri-Delta Place) before heading over to the hospital for lab work meant to measure his immunity levels. Then, early the next morning, we met Carson’s attending physician in the clinic in who cleared us for his weekly cocktail of medication. Despite the occasional lumbar puncture sprinkled in every few months, we usually finished by lunch on Wednesday before returning to the airport for the reverse flight home.

The only ingredient worse than the grueling pace of this drill was the daunting prospect of maintaining its grind for 128 consecutive weeks. Early on, my wife and I decided to alternate trips, but with 75% of the treatment protocol remaining everything was about to change. Fighting childhood cancer was difficult enough with two children. How could we possibly add a third to such a frantic schedule? With a sick child needing so much attention, how could we adequately care for a newborn? How could we manage another responsibility?

But the test did not lie.

Thankfully, neither did God’s Word. I knew and believed that children are a gift from the Lord (Psalm 127:3-5). I understood that all human life is valuable because every person is made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). I also remembered that Jesus compared the pain of childbirth to the sorrow surrounding his death, while also insisting that the joy of giving birth will mirror the joy of his disciples after His resurrection (John 16:21). God seemed to whisper through my doubts, “Consider this an unexpected blessing.”

But in the interest of transparency, can I admit that it did not feel like a blessing? Don’t misunderstand, we wanted more children. Our plan, however, was to weather our storm before expanding our family. Surely, God knew the timing was all wrong! Anyone could see this was too much to ask in our situation! Yet, the Lord’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Now, all these years later, I am embarrassed by my shortsightedness. That unexpected blessing was my third son. Though the news of his arrival initially felt like an ill-timed intrusion, it actually became a healthy distraction during our deepest valley. Yes, some days were challenging, and we often wrestled with anxiety, but it was also impossible to dwell on our trial and wallow in our misery. God, in His goodness, gave us joy in the midst of our darkness.

As unexpected as it was, the birth of our son was exactly what we needed at precisely the right time. Because of our new addition, we laughed, we celebrated, and we marveled over our God instead of living in doubt. When I look at him today, I see myself behind his piercing brown eyes. He is smart, athletic, mischievous, and the life the party. We cannot imagine life without him.

I still grieve that I did not see it at first.

God has many purposes through our suffering, many of which we may never understand. Yet, undoubtedly, the Lord often works in the midst of our adversities to drop unexpected blessings into our lives. He may gift you with greater character and hope (Rom. 5:3-5). He may comfort you in order to make you a blessing to others (2 Cor. 1:3-4). Maybe He desires to correct your waywardness and to protect you from problems you don’t see coming (Heb. 12:5-11). Whether the goal is greater humility (2 Cor. 12:7), deeper intimacy with the Lord (Psalm 119:64-68), or increased heavenly reward (2 Cor. 4:16-18), you can rest knowing that God is working in ways you cannot see to provide blessings you do not expect.

Trials are deceptive, not only because of the wounds they leave behind, but also because of the vision they steal from us. Be careful. The light of God’s faithfulness will always penetrate the darkness of our heaviest burdens, even if not immediately. You may not see it now, but you will one day.

So, look around. You are likely more blessed than you think. In fact, the very trial that you hate may be the means God chooses to deliver an unexpected blessing that you do not deserve.

Trust Him (Rom. 8:28).

Follow Him (James 1:2-4).

Rest in Him (Matt. 11:28-29).

You will be glad that you did.

Adam B. Dooley
July 8, 2025

**This post first appeared with the release of Hope When Life Unravels. Purchase your copy today wherever books are sold.

Jan 16
Love0

Why Did Jesus Tell Us to Mourn?

By Christian Living, Comfort, Grief, Mourning, Repentance, Sin No Comments

Though making an annual trip to St. Jude Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee admittedly causes a certain amount of anxiety, there is no greater feeling than hearing that my son remains cancer free after a decade since being treated for leukemia. We praise the Lord each year after learning that his scans are clear, just as we did all those years ago when we first heard the word remission.

This trip felt different though, because of our visit with a beautiful little girl from our city who is just beginning the same journey we traveled back then. Her parents were strong and optimistic, but their tired eyes told on them. When we walked into that little hospital room, I immediately felt the same fears and anxieties that plagued me on the day cancer rocked our world for the first time.

I still remember the musky smell of the room. Cartoon characters decorated wood paneled walls and bundles of children’s books were on both sides of our chairs as we waited. When the doctor walked in, her facial expression communicated great concern. Bracing for the worst, I knew deep down that whatever came next would not be good. “I wish I had better news,” said the doctor, “but I believe your son has leukemia.”

As we talked with this family about navigating three years of chemotherapy, I realized that the backdrop of my son’s joyful news from earlier was coming to grips with the painful reality from his toddler years. Or, you could say that we had to receive the BAD NEWS of his diagnosis in order to receive and appreciate the GOOD NEWS of his health now. Ignoring his condition was never an option. Our soaring joyfulness today is proportional to the depth of our trepidation then.

Ironically, Jesus echoed the same pattern about our spiritual condition. The Bible teaches that the gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for any who will call upon the name of the Lord to be saved (Rom. 10:13). Welcoming the gift of His grace, however, requires admitting that our sin falls short of God’s expectation for our lives (Rom. 3:23). Denying our wickedness is equal to rejecting the divine cure.

The subject of sin is almost always controversial because ours is an age that resists any notions of absolute truth, much less concepts of right and wrong. Because much of our world mocks and dismisses scriptural norms, labeling Christian morality as hate speech is a common ad hominem tactic used to avoid biblical assertions. Added to these external factors is our internal struggle to frame calls to repentance as an affront to personal autonomy. Simply put, we don’t want to talk about sin, even to the point of resenting any brave soul willing to do so.

Even worse for some, is the idea that we should feel guilt or shame over any of our lifestyle choices. One weakness of the American Church is our eagerness to falsely associate jovial, lightheartedness with Christianity itself. We want greeting card theology, picture perfect smiles, unlimited optimism, and painless sacrifice. Prizing carefree thoughtlessness is our best effort to avoid guilt trips and low self-esteem. Sadly, the result is often a watered-down gospel that minimizes wickedness while celebrating superficial expressions of faith.

Jesus taught just the opposite. Blessed are those who mourn, He said, for they shall be comforted (Matt. 5:4). These words are not a call to grim cheerlessness. Neither are they intended to reassure us regarding life’s burdens and trials. Though there is much in our lives to grieve over, the focus here is not the hardships we necessarily endure. Instead, Jesus is teaching us exactly how to respond when we stray from Him.

The prophetic words of the psalmist serve as the background of this Beatitude (See Psalm 61:1-3). There, Judah mourned over their exile to Babylon, which was the severe consequence for their waywardness. Seeking to make the same application for believers today, Jesus is challenging us to lament, weep, and mourn due to the weight of our transgressions. We should mourn that our sins offend our holy God. We should mourn that we are so easily enticed by temptation. And we should mourn over the sins that blind and enslave the people we love.

Such a message is rarely popular, but according to Jesus, it is a blessing that leads to comfort. Learning to grieve over what causes grief is the first step toward healing and restoration (James 4:9). In fact, God promises to . .  .

  • Comfort us with the relief of His forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
  • Comfort us with the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:12).
  • Comfort us with the freedom of His presence (2 Cor. 3:17).
  • Comfort us with a hope for our future (Jer. 29:11).

In addition to these present realities, God promises the eternal comfort of His people in the place called heaven. He assures us of a future home where righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13), where He wipes all tears from our eyes (Rev. 21:4), and where death is swallowed up for all time (Isa. 25:8-9). In other words, weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning (Psa. 30:5).

None of us enjoy sorrow, and it is always difficult to admit when we are wrong. Yet, when we understand lament as an opportunity, our lives change for the better. The Apostle Paul explained, “I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us (2 Cor. 7:9).”

No wonder Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Adam B. Dooley
January 16, 2024

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