Christmas Hope

I've been thinking about how Jesus was born into a world not too much unlike our own where corruption abounded, evil seemed to be winning, people's hearts were broken with grief, hope seemed ever illusive, God seemed distant. And yet God came...to us...as a baby full of hope. It's that baby, baby Jesus, who makes all the difference. The baby born right into an incredibly broken world full of people with broken hearts. He came for me. He came for you. He came with one purpose: to bring hope smack dab in the middle of suffering and all the awful. He comes again today to me and you with the same hope in a soul-crushing world. He is our hope when we are grieving those we love. He is our hope when the world seems to have gone mad. He is our hope when Christmas celebrating doesn't seem quite as joyful as it used to be for various reasons. He is our hope when life seems like it is falling apart. He lives right there in the middle of all of it with us. Does it mean the pain goes away? Not necessarily. Does it mean that everything will go right and nothing bad will happen? Pretty sure that's a "no." Does it mean that I can find beauty in the midst of tragedy? Yes. Does it mean that I have a God who doesn't abandon me when my heart is beyond sad? Yes. Does it mean that I can see how God brings beauty from ashes? Absolutely. Does it mean that I have the hope of heaven? How could we live without that hope?! May baby Jesus be your hope today no matter what you are facing or what you are feeling. Let Him live with you in the middle of it all. After all, that's the same world He was born into.