Dear God, today I’m feeling a little lonely and I’m not sure why, other than my grown children are not home for a visit and are instead celebrating with their extended families elsewhere. While I am happy because they have more family to spend the holidays with, it still leaves me a tiny bit sad and wishing for the days when they were much younger.

I know You remember those days, Lord, when our home was filled to the brim with the sights and sounds of one of my favorite times of the year. In those days the house was noisy with kids running around, laughing, arguing, and playing, all while anticipating the moment when they could finally open the presents under the Christmas tree and discover the secrets I’d been keeping from them. The smell of baking and cooking still lingers in my mind today as I think about the gifts we would make together for our neighbors, friends and family members. Oftentimes I would get so busy that I would forget to mail out Christmas cards or wrap a present hidden in the back of the closet or drawer. My heart longs to tell the younger me to slow down and savor the moments, to sit down and read that story one more time, or to grab my favorite hot tea and sit in the dark watching the twinkling lights of the tree before me.

So instead of allowing myself to be consumed with the loneliness of an empty house and sadness for days gone by, I choose to focus on the original gift that started this tradition of celebrating: Your only Son’s birth. I think of Mary, young and about to become the mother of Jesus, the Son of the living God, in a land far from home and her family, with only her husband, Joseph, to help her in her time of need. I think of Joseph and the burden he carried of desperately trying to find somewhere for them to rest, knowing his wife was about to give birth and yet not being able to find any place warm, clean and comfortable. I think of them both as her labor pains increased and having no access to doctors, nurses or equipment to help bring their baby into the world. It was just the two of them, Father, and yet I’m sure Your sweet presence was surrounding them, bringing comfort and wisdom as the miracle, Your Son, was born into this cold, dark, sinful world.

And then I think about Jesus, the ultimate gift from a loving Father, who chose to leave the riches and beauty of Heaven to come down and walk among us as the Savior of the world. The beauty of your Gift, Father God, brings tears of joy to my eyes and praise to my lips because I know I don’t deserve such an extravagant and loving gift. But I choose to receive this truly amazing gift of love, compassion and forgiveness, knowing that He will save my life and change me to become the person You destined me to be. I am beyond thankful and grateful for Your gift, Father.

With all this said, I am choosing joy over sadness and loneliness as I look at all You have blessed me with instead of what I am missing. As I look at our home, I feel a huge depth of gratitude that words alone cannot express because we are warm, safe, and dry from the elements outside these four walls, knowing that others may not be as fortunate. I feel blessed and honored because I have a church I am able to attend freely and worship You and learn more about Your Word without fear of being martyred. I am blessed by so many wonderful things around me that I cannot continue to dwell on my lonely feelings or wishing for the years that are long gone. I choose to step away from my trip down memory lane and pray for others who so desperately need it.

I pray for those that are separated from their loved ones during this holiday season when so many around them are celebrating and they feel lost and alone. I ask You to fill their longing hearts with a joy that cannot be expressed adequately. I ask You to bless those who are hard at work, keeping our world a safer place in which to live, whether within our communities or to the farthest reaches of the world, and keep them safe today. I ask You to bless those in ministry who give up so much of their time for the sake of ministering to lost souls and give them a fresh annointing so they may continue to further Your kingdom. I ask You to bless those who have no home, no family and no hope. Father, open their eyes to the truth of the Christmas season and let them know they are not alone as You embrace them in Your loving arms. Give them hope where they feel there is none and let Your sweet presence surround about them, showering them with a love so real they can feel it deep inside their hearts and minds.

Bless those who have lost loves ones and feel sadness instead of joy. Bless those who are ill or in pain and make them aware that You are near. Ease their aches and pains and give them a deep rest that nourishes their bodies, minds and hearts. Bless those who are taking care of the sick and give them a sense of joy for the good they are doing. Bless the children who may be without their parents or families today and let them know Your love and care is real and You are not far off, but very near instead. Bless and protect the first responders, the ministers in countries where they are in fear for their lives and those of their families and congregations, and those who are standing up for the belief in Jesus against a world that seems to have forgotten the gift You gave us so long ago. And finally, I pray for those who feel completely alone and forgotten, thinking no one cares about them. I pray You would fill their hearts and minds with Your great love and put somone in their path who will demonstrate that same love by leading them to You. I pray they would not make any rash decisions for their own lives based on what they may feel right now, but would instead surrender to You and Your love which will give them life eternal. I pray the Word of God would be given to them and they would feel an urgency to read it and understand its words completely.

In Your Name I pray, Amen and Amen.