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Christmas Is for Messy Lives

Love compelled God to dive into our layers of sin and live among us, making a way to save us. 

by an Alliance international worker serving in a creative-access country

Double-digit unemployment is rampant in north and central Asia; millions from this region have migrated to a creative-access country to find work. Alliance teams seek tangible means to share Jesus’ compassion with these marginalized peoples from one of the last missions frontiers.

Sometimes it’s overwhelming to know how to address the layers of need in the lives of the migrants we serve in our city. One friend recently shared with me how her family must find a new place to live because they’re late paying rent.

Her husband had been promised a job with good pay, but after working there three months, he was never paid. He has since taken another job, but his salary is insufficient to cover their living expenses.

Overwhelming Needs

This family also has some medical issues to address, but they have no way to pay for good care. Most migrants here are low-paid day laborers, such as street cleaners and restaurant workers, who are often treated disrespectfully and turned away from this country’s government-subsidized clinics.

Meanwhile, family members in their home country often remind them of their duty to send more money home. Also, it’s nearly time for this couple to pay to renew their documents again so they can legally keep working at the jobs they have that don’t provide enough money to live on.

As migrant workers, they can feel voiceless, hopeless, and alone.

Comfort in God Incarnate

Cycles of poverty run deep. Answers are complex. That’s why I’m so excited about Christmas.

“What does Christmas have to do with this story?” you may ask. Everything. Through Christmas, God proved that absolutely nothing was going to keep Him from engaging with the messy, needy lives of humans.

Love compelled Him to dive into our seemingly unsolvable mess of layer upon layer of sin and live among us, making a way to save us. That’s the miracle of Christmas, and it has everything to do with my friend’s deep needs, as well as yours and mine.

So, how do I respond to my friend and her messy life?

  • I pray for and with her.
  • I listen and stay engaged in the relationship in spite of my inability to “fix” all of her needs so she knows she’s not alone.
  • At times, I help the family financially.

Most importantly, I remind her of God’s character and promises. I tell her I am going to trust with her that God is ready and willing to meet her in the mess with His love and grace.

This Christmas, I will remind her of the baby born in Bethlehem—God Incarnate—living proof that our lives are never too messy for God. May this truth comfort us deeply this Christmas season.

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