When the Lord had to realign my life, that’s when the pain really hit. Much like the doctors in the ER, Jesus needed to correct what was disfigured. The process was gruesome and the pain was insufferable, but it was exactly what I needed to be healthy once again.

The good news is that Jesus knows that we are imperfect beings… that’s what He died for. His unconditional love and grace is given to us for when we mess up. It covers the mistakes we have made and will make in the future. But just as we need to try our best to be safe on the road, and know we have insurance for when we mess up, we need to try our best to live like Christ on Earth, and rely on His forgiveness when we fall short.

In Christian circles, I have carried a lot of shame for having depression and anxiety. There’s sometimes a stigma in the church that a poor mental health status equates to a poor spiritual life. While I acknowledge that sometimes it is more difficult to hear God’s voice amidst feelings of depression, it is important for me to remember that the cause of my depression is biochemical. It has to do more with the chemicals in my brain than my distance from the Lord.

It doesn’t take a lot of time on this Earth to realize this fact to be true: suffering is inevitable. I think one of the most common questions I hear from non-believers is that ‘if God is such a loving God, why is there so much suffering on Earth?’. It’s a valid question to ask if you’re skeptical about faith in Jesus Christ.

I thought about that today as I turned on Christmas music, put on my festive flannel and began decorating our Christmas tree. We celebrate Jesus’ birthday on this random day in December, and it’s probably not even His actual date of birth. Why is it important that we set aside time to celebrate the birth of Jesus at all? How has His birthday become the theme surrounding hundreds of cheesy Hallmark movies and Justin Bieber songs? What really is the point of all of this?