Alone at Christmas
A compilation
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I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses.—Taylor Caldwell
*
I’d been trying not to think about Christmas, dreading the day, hoping against hope that some angel would come into my life and make everything okay. I even tried pretending that it was just a normal day, nothing special, in hopes that would make the loneliness go away. But I couldn’t avoid it.—Christmas was all around me, and I was alone. No one to talk to, no one to laugh with, and no one to wish me a happy Christmas. With each minute that passed I was getting more depressed—and that’s what I had dreaded the most.
To cheer myself up, I searched for happy memories to occupy my mind. One that popped up was about my Sunday school teacher. He was an easygoing, friendly man who’d spent a lot of time with us kids, and had a knack for making things fun and happy. He had said that Jesus was the joy of his life. His words ran through my mind, “Just take Jesus with you.”
Would that work? I thought about it. I was alone—no one would know the difference. So I decided then and there to make Jesus my friend for the day.
We did everything together—drank hot chocolate by the fire, walked the streets together, talked about how pretty the world was, laughed, and waved at passers-by. I could almost feel His arm around me everywhere I went and hear His voice talking to me. In whispers beyond the realm of audible sound He told me He loved me—just me—and that He would always be my friend. Somehow I knew I would never be alone again.
As I lay down to sleep that Christmas night I felt so happy, so peaceful, so content. It seemed odd, but then again it didn’t. I’d spent the day with Jesus, and I just hoped that others had as happy a Christmas Day as I had.—Vivian Patterson
Finding the joy
Christmas can be a sad and difficult time of year if you’re alone, lonely, or have been through a recent heartbreak.
Here are some tried and proven tips to help you make it through the season of joy without feeling like an outsider:
* Give to those less fortunate than you. Volunteer to serve meals at a soup kitchen or an orphanage on Christmas Day. Make an effort to converse with and listen to those you’re serving. Taking time to appreciate them and the struggles they’ve been through will not only give them a lift, but will help you realize how blessed you really are.
* Don’t wait for someone to invite you for Christmas dinner. Find someone who really needs to be invited, and invite them. Make it your goal to make Christmas special and memorable for them, and happiness will find you.
* Share with someone the real meaning of Christmas. Whether it’s someone who’s unfamiliar with the story or someone who’s heard it many times before, reviewing the story together of how God gave the gift, His Son, will help put things back in perspective. God was separated from His loved one at Christmas too, and He did it so that we could be together with Him forever.
Give of your love to those you are around, and watch the joy come flooding in on you!—Natalie Vela
In good company
If you’re alone this Christmas, if you feel left out or forgotten by others, you are in good company. I know Someone who had that happen to Him—Jesus. He gave His heart and love anyway, again and again, until it couldn’t be resisted anymore. As a result, His Spirit of love lives in millions of hearts right now, giving them happiness and purpose.
If you follow His example and give love to others, He’ll be right there with you. And the Bible says that whatever you give will be given back to you—by Jesus!—Robert Rider
A prayer for Christmas
Jesus, You are God and man, King and servant of all. You left Your eternal throne in heaven and took on mortality. You encased Yourself in human flesh and became one of us, so that You could save us. I am overwhelmed with emotion when I think of how You humbly and quietly came into our world and changed it forever.
When You were born among us, You brought us the greatest gifts imaginable—salvation, peace, hope, love. Who would ever have thought such things would come in the form of a tiny baby, born to commoners, wrapped in rags, and laid to sleep in a feeding trough?
Thank You that because of Christmas, I’m never alone. Whether or not I am blessed with family and friends, whether I face good times or hard times, I always have You and Your love. Thank You for choosing to experience both the joys and sorrows of Earth. Thank You for enduring the tears, pain, frustration, loneliness, exhaustion, and death so that You could truly say that You understand us. Never has there been a more perfect love than Yours!—Author unknown
What Jesus gave at Christmas
What did I give the world at Christmas? My life for the forgiveness of your sins, so that from Me and through Me and in Me you could have life.1
It all began when I designed the amazing and beautiful world that you live in and gave you life. Then I gave you My life, thus offering you access to eternal life. I give you hope through the knowledge that I am eternal, unchangeable, and never going away.
I promise you good things now and in the afterlife. I know that in this life you will face troubles and problems, but I promise to stand with you through them.2 Be assured that with My strength, you can overcome difficulties rather than be overcome.3 I promise you that you will never be alone. “I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will not leave you comfortless.”4
I gave you the promise of eternal life long ago, when I came to Earth. I was born, lived, and died because I loved you, and I will always love you. I am your Christmas gift.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
Published on Anchor December 2018. Read by Simon Peterson. Music taken from the Rhythm of Christmas album. Used by permission.
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