Alone. Left out. Forgotten. Full of grief.
Disappointed. Looked over.
You might feel this way even in a season that is supposedly filled with “great joy” and hope. You might be grieving an empty seat at the dinner table due to death of a loved one, a broken relationship or the painful stings of divorce. You might be searching for joy and hope amongst moving boxes. You might be staring at a calendar knowing the holidays means you’re all alone.
The Christmas season is about “withness”. And while you might be alone in a room full of people, or feel alone in your grief and sorrow, the good news that Christmas brings is Immanuel.
By the prophet Isaiah, the Lord promised,
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Immanuel, means “God with us.”
What marvelous hope is that!? Because God is with us — we are never alone and He is never far.
He came to earth, to be born of a virgin in a lowly manger so that we would never be lonely again. It’s because of his life, death and resurrection that Christians know this to be true – as God is with believers, indwelling in them with the presence of the Holy Spirit.
If you are feeling alone this Christmas season, know that you are not alone in your feelings of loneliness and grief. It’s okay to grieve the holidays that look different than you hoped or dreamed, but I also hope you remember Immanuel – God with us. Our living and certain hope, who will one day wipe away every tear of sorrow and loneliness and will restore all things. When he returns we will never feel sad or lonely ever again.
