And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). 

Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray, saying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Yet not my will, but yours be done. And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground (Luke 22:41-44). 

We know all about Christmas, right? The birth of Jesus. The light in the darkness. The light of the world. Giving gifts. Decorating. Family. The time when so many people feel so alone.

Wait, what?

Yes. There are multitudes of people who feel empty and alone during this time of the year. And it’s only getting worse. The year 2020 has been one of the hardest–if not the hardest–years on record for mental health issues. The feeling of isolation coupled with the changing of everything. People can’t even do Christmas as they used to. Those feelings of emptiness and loneliness are not “just” emptiness and loneliness, though.

They are indicators of a battle for the soul.

“A battle you say? At Christmas?” Yes, a battle. When Jesus was born that dark night in Bethlehem, it was not only God putting a candle into the darkened world. It was also God entering our battles with us. Look at the encounter Jesus had in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was fighting two battles. First, the submission of his will to the Father. And for his humanity, it was a battle. Jesus knew what he would face. He would face the eternal wrath of the Father–when he had done nothing to deserve it. He would watch the Father’s face turn away from him. Though he was God-incarnate, the humanity of Jesus showed through in that battle.

The second battle was for us. It was the beginning of the end of the real battle for our souls. He had lived his life perfectly. He had endured temptation, rejection, loneliness, mocking, scorning, attempted murder, and more. And soon he would endure betrayal. Yet, he endured those things without flinching, without turning away from us. He endured those things so that he can tell the lonely and brokenhearted, 

Not only am I with you, not only will I never leave you, but I am fighting with you. In fact I’ve already fought the battle. And I won. Take my hand and walk with me.

Why would he go to such great lengths? Why would he not only die to forgive our sins but willingly enter our battles with us? Because we are worth it to him. It’s true we could never be “worthy” of his love. We could never earn it. But we are worth it.

You are worth it. No matter where you find yourself, no matter where you have come from. No matter how broken you are. There is no sorrow, no pain, no brokenness that he cannot heal. 

Sometimes we just want someone to sit with us in the midst of our brokenness. Jesus does that. But he does more. He takes our burdens unto himself. He enters the battle with us. This Christmas, when you feel alone. When you feel that ache of emptiness in your heart though people are all around you, remember the One who entered your battle so that he could fill the hole in your heart.