I’m not going to lie. It’s terribly tempting to feel sorry for myself this morning, as I think of so many families celebrating Christmas together today. But I opened my Bible app anyway and read my daily reading. These are the words that jumped off the screen:
God with us
The exact words I needed to ponder today as I face my first Christmas in 25 years without the love of my life.
Here, in this moment, and in every moment, God is with me.
Then, I had an overwhelming thought
I know for a fact that, even as much as Jeremy loved me, he wouldn’t come back now if he could. Heaven is so much more wonderful than we can even imagine and he is spending Christmas in the presence of the very One we celebrate. The One he lived his life to serve. There, Jeremy is perfect, whole, healed, complete.
But Jesus?
Jesus chose to leave His rightful place in Glory, where He ruled and reigned and knew no sin,
~to become sin
~to become an embryo
~to become a human
~to become a sacrificial lamb
~to be rejected, hated and slaughtered
~for me
~for you.
What love!
And because of that great love, I am never alone. He is in me; He is for me; He is with me. In my darkest, saddest and loneliest moments, He is here, and I am His.
And then I heard perhaps the most comforting words God could whisper into the heart of a widow:
“You. Are. Mine.”
His. Loved. Treasured. Wanted. Held.
Because of Jesus, I am never alone. And neither are you. He is our ever-present help, our refuge and strength, our hope, our defender, our provider, our protector, our comforter, the lover of our soul and our best friend.
And so, we can face this day with hope and joy because of the One whose birth we celebrate.
Emmanuel.
God with us.
