God With Us

What is your very favorite Christmas decoration? Is it your tree with a combination of beautiful ornaments mixed in with toilet paper rolls made by your kids? Or maybe it’s the manger scene handed down to you by your grandmother. As much as I love those, I must say I absolutely love looking at the lights!

We have lights on our tree, on the mantle, on the television console, and even some light-up pictures hanging on the walls. Watching them twinkle relaxes and mesmerizes me, reminding me that Jesus came as the Light of the World. “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it,” (John 1:4,5).

There is a lot of darkness in the world. But there is One who overcomes ALL darkness. He laid His glory aside to put on flesh, to suffer and die to pay the penalty for the sin of His creation who had rebelled against Him. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” (Romans 5:8).  It’s an amazing thought to think of the powerful, glorious Creator God laying His glory aside to be born as a helpless infant! Why? To suffer an agonizing death to save us from the penalty of our sin! What kind of love is this?

It is a love that pierces EVERY darkness. I don’t know what darkness you have wrestled with, but God does. He is there, present  in your own darkness, reminding you that the darkness you have experienced cannot overcome His light. He is there with you this Christmas, as you wrestle the dark places of grief, isolation, sickness, poverty, addiction, brokenness, pain…HE IS THERE WITH YOU. His very name, Immanuel, means, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23 says, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means, God with us.”

So if Christmas is especially hard for you this year, I am so very sorry! And I encourage you, dear one, to look at those lights and remember that He is there with you in those dark places, promising that He overcomes your darkness. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit,” (Psalm 34:18). He is with you: Immanuel.

If your load seems too heavy to bear, please reach out to a church or someone you trust for help. If you are interested in counseling, feel free to direct message me on Facebook or email me at deeperrootsblog1@gmail.com.

Merry Christmas! The Light has come!