All around the world, the universal language is love. Every tribe, race, religion, culture, and people group “speak” this language. The human heart yearns for love more than any other thing. The theme of love is the message of countless songs, poems, plays, films, books, and artwork because love is the deepest desire of all human beings. In fact, if someone feels unloved or has trouble or loss in this area, it is almost incapacitating. Grief is most often tied to the loss of love and it can be a dark place. But, while loss of love can be truly crippling, finding love is a balm for the soul! If Christmas is about anything, it is about LOVE. It is about the GREATEST LOVE of all. Understanding the message of love represented through Christ’s coming to earth can turn a person’s world around. The powerful truth that God’s love is personal and free to all who will receive it has a restorative quality that nothing on this earth can match. In other words, an encounter with God’s love can mend a broken heart and satisfy a lonely soul. ONLY GOD’S LOVE breaks down walls, loosens chains and realigns a fractured identity.

The apostle John describes exactly what this love looks like:

God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love — not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. (I John 4:9-10)

When you think about baby Jesus, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, the true picture you should be focusing on is grown-up Jesus on the cross. He didn’t arrive on earth just to form a small group, teach about the kingdom of God, make the lame walk and give sight to the blind, He actually came here to die. God’s love became visible through the death of Christ on the cross. Human love is wonderful but it can never take the place of divine love. God’s love saves us! It saves us emotionally, physically and eternally!

During this Christmas season, turn your eyes toward the reality of this amazing love and let it wash over you. The reality that you are wanted; you are accepted; you are cherished; you are LOVED!