Hope Entered the World

'And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. '

John 1:14 NASB95

This Christmas Eve feels different. This year carried more loss than I expected—my father, my brother Joe, my brother Felix, my brother Charles, and several fathers of brothers I love. As Christmas approached, I could feel myself bracing for it, already deciding it would be hard. Different. Heavy. And because I went into it that way, I disconnected. I wasn’t fully present for most of the month of December.

But today, as I reflected on the birth of Jesus, something struck me deeply.

God sent His Son into a broken world—not after it was fixed, not once the pain was gone, but right in the middle of it. If God thought the way we do, this never would have happened. As humans, we often get stuck on what’s wrong, what’s missing, what hurts. We let the negative blind us from the greater purpose unfolding right in front of us.

Jesus was born into loss, oppression, uncertainty, and danger. Yet heaven still broke through. Hope still arrived. Light still entered the darkness.

That realization stopped me in my tracks. I’ve been focusing on what I don’t have this Christmas instead of remembering what was given—to me, and to the world. My dad is gone, but his wisdom lives on in me. My brothers are gone, but their love, counsel, and example remain. And more than that, Christ is here.

Christmas isn’t about perfect circumstances. It never was. It’s about God choosing to come near anyway.

Tonight, choose remembrance over regret. Choose gratitude over grief’s attempt to steal the moment. Just as God didn’t allow the brokenness of the world to stop Him from sending His Son, don’t let loss keep you from receiving the joy still being offered.

Jesus came so that even in sorrow, we could have hope. Even in absence, we could know presence. Even in grief, we could worship.

Light has come into the world—and the darkness has not overcome it.

-Rev Carlos Figueroa

TheFreeBible.Org