There’s a lot of suffering to be entered into in this world—the kind of suffering Christ takes on. (Colossians 1:24 MSG) 

I’m not in the mood for Christmas.

My life took a major geographical turn this year, and I find myself in a place I’ve been before but never expected to be again. I’m far from family and friends, and I’m missing being a part of the usual holiday festivities “back home.” The months leading up to this holiday season have been filled with stress, anxiety, and grief. 

Needless to say, Christmas cheer is in short supply. Maybe you can relate?

We like to think of Christmas only in terms of presents and caroling and twinkle lights and “the most wonderful time of the year,” but the reality is this is a difficult season for many. Take heart, fellow sufferers! We are not alone: the “real Christmas” certainly wasn’t free of difficulty. In fact, much hardship was endured on the way into hope and joy.

Mary and Joseph were in a place they didn’t expect to be. They were far from family and friends, and Mary gave birth away from the family back home who would have supported her. She and Joseph both faced ridicule for their situation, not to mention the stress of having to find a place to stay in a city with no vacancies.

What of sweet baby Jesus? He suffered most of all.

Jesus, the One in whom all things were created, the One who holds all things together, the One who reigns supreme, took on all the suffering to come to earth in the form of a human baby. 

Christmas doesn’t erase our struggles, but it does remind us that we don’t struggle alone. Jesus loved us so much that he set aside his supreme deity to take on the sufferings of a human body and life. The arrival of baby Jesus on Christmas also reminds us of the Hope of Glory, and that’s something we can cling to today and every day. 

Jesus is no stranger to suffering and no stranger to our suffering. He’s taken on all of our suffering from his first breath to his last, and he sits with us in dark times even now. I’ve felt Him extra near lately in pretty skies, in the smile returned from a stranger at the grocery store, and in messages sent by dear friends. Look for Him today, and He will be found. He’s never far away.