I wrote this on Christmas Day, 2021—ten weeks after Jeremy graduated to Glory. I believed it then, and I know it to be true now, more than ever.
He is here, and I am His.
I’m not going to lie; it’s super tempting to feel sorry for myself this morning, as I think of so many happy families celebrating Christmas together. But as I opened my Bible app and read my daily reading, these are the words that jumped off the screen:
God with us.
And those were 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 this overwhelming thought
I know for a fact that—even as much as he loved me—Jeremy 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. There, he is perfect, whole, healed, complete.
But Jesus?
Jesus willingly 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 and He is with me. In my darkest, saddest and loneliest moments, He is here, and I am His.
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, you and I can face this day with hope because of the One whose birth we celebrate.
Emmanuel.