The angel said unto them, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (Luke 2:10 KJV).

In 1981, during the Christmas season as we were preparing to move back to Sandy Lake, I sat up late one night, unable to sleep, surrounded by packed boxes. It wasn’t until later that I discovered that I’d been “keeping vigil” with my friend, Frannie, whose husband passed away that night.

The following year, 1982, the mother of one of our close friends also passed away during the Christmas season. And I wondered, as I had the previous year, about God’s timing that can make life such a mixture of joy and sorrow.

Then in 1983, my father passed away on Christmas Day, surrounded by my mom, his children, grandchildren and committed hospice workers. I doubted if Christmas would ever be the same for our family. As I talked to the One who is able to handle all of our perplexing questions, I said, “God, why would you allow this to happen three years in a row―three situations where we or people we love have lost loved ones during the Christmas season, a time that’s supposed to be filled with joy?”

As I waited, I heard deep in my spirit the answer that remains with me still, “For this, you have Jesus.”  Finally I understood―it was for times just such as this that Jesus came… “O tidings of comfort and joy!”

Thank you, Jesus, that whether the Christmas season brings us happiness or tears, for this we have Jesus. Amen.

The featured photo was taken on my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary. We had a celebration because my mother’s health hadn’t been good, and we weren’t sure she would live to see their 5oth. My father died four and a half years later while my mother lived another twenty-plus years. Only God knows what our future holds, and for this, whatever it may be, we have Jesus. (Photo taken by Norman Townsend, Donn’s father.)