One of my favorite questions Oprah asks her guests on Super Soul Sunday is how they know God is real. The answers fascinate me, and they are often so very similar. One night long ago, God became very real to me. On that specific night, there were some troubling things happening in my house with my mom (she was an alcoholic), and I was scared. I locked myself in my room, curled up in bed and started to read my bible. I felt so alone and forgotten that night. Out of my innocence, I asked God for a hug. I just needed a hug to know I wasn’t alone. Instantly, I felt the biggest hug wash over me. It wasn’t a physical squeeze, but a deep and overwhelming embrace of comfort and safety from the inside. If you have had one of these moments, you know how difficult they are to describe (it almost seems silly), but this is what Christmas means to me. Jesus’ birth paved the way, so that a big and mighty God could show a little girl, scared in her bedroom, His love for her with a hug. My faith was solidified that night, because of God’s tenderness and love toward me. I still don’t understand the depths of His love for me, but it continues to change my life. It isn’t about the gifts under the tree, but for me, it’s the gift of a hug to a young girl one night long ago from a God who unconditionally loves me and calls me His child.
Merry Christmas! I hope you feel the love of Christ this Christmas season!
