It was many, many years ago; years before my wife and I met; and it was, in my mind, the worst Christmas ever.

Christmas is normally my favorite time of the year. I love gathering with family, soaking up the warmth and the love. That particular year, however, I found myself thousands of miles from home. It had been a long and grueling year of homesickness coupled with the stress of a busy Masters’ program in a language I still struggled to master; but the worst part of the entire year definitely centered around the fact that the wedding I had been planning, the same one my parents flew in from Europe to attend, got cancelled just days before I would have gone to the altar.

Just how is someone supposed to heal from something like that?

Naturally, the demands of my Masters’ program didn’t seem to care that I was in emotional shock, for it just kept grinding out the projects and the tests. Never had I felt so homesick. I longed to be surrounded by the warmth and love of my family. Unfortunately their trip to North America that year had been “wasted” on a wedding that never happened. There would be no crossing of the Atlantic this Christmas…

I suspect God knew exactly how I felt. After all, that very first Christmas was pretty lonely for Him as well! In fact, Heaven had been without Jesus for about nine months! I am so thankful that God’s loneliness didn’t make Him change His mind! Otherwise we would all be without hope. There was actually no fear of that, however. God’s love for us is so great that He was willing to suffer and endure anything in order to bring Salvation to this world: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NIV)! That’s love, friends! Love in body form: “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form..” (Colossians 2:9 NIV)!

Unfortunately at this time in my life I didn’t know this Love personally; but just because I wasn’t reaching for the ultimate answer to my loneliness didn’t mean that God didn’t care! He did! For He sent me a loving invitation from a friend to join her and her family for Christmas in Canada.

I didn’t accept the invitation immediately. I wasn’t feeling very “merry”, and I didn’t want to bring her family down to my level of depression; but she insisted until I accepted.

As I think back on this, I realize that God was helping me to experience His love, on a certain level at least. He knew I wouldn’t turn to Him back then, so He arranged this in other ways. And it worked! And other than it being the coldest Christmas I’d ever experienced (December can be cold in Canada!), it was perhaps the best Christmas I could have hoped for. Her family took me in as if I were one of their own, and the love and warmth that surrounded me were exactly what my heart needed.

Do you know that Love of God personally? If so, hang on to that Love this Christmas, especially if, due to circumstances outside of your control, it will be a hard Christmas! Remember: It Christmas isn’t about us! It’s about Jesus!

If you do not know that Love of God personally, why not accept Jesus into your life? It’s as simple as clicking here!

Finally, do you know someone who is lonely this Christmas? Maybe they have just lost a spouse, or perhaps their spouse has had to go into a home. Maybe they had a rough semester at school, or maybe they just lost their job. Perhaps they are thousands of miles from home. Whatever the reason, the prospect of a lonely Christmas only makes them feel worse. Why not invite someone to come and stay with you and your family this year? You will make a huge difference in their lives! And not only that, but you’ll be sharing the Love of Christmas, the same Love that brought Jesus to this Earth those 2000 long years ago! And who knows? Maybe it will be a good opportunity to introduce some of them to the true meaning of Christmas!

Inspired by Rob Chaffart
Founder, Answers2Prayer Ministries