Immanuel. God with us.

He is, you know.

With us every day. And He is an everyday God. Not some lofty, out of reach, unavailable God who’s left us to our own devices until we die God.

An everyday God who understands how difficult it is to get up every morning, to face temptation, to put one foot in front of the other, to wipe away one more tear, to carry one more burden, and to get up the next morning and do it all over again. Because he lived it.

He has made himself a home inside our hearts. He listens to our prayers. He cares about our daily lives. He weeps over us. He loves us unconditionally. And He gives us choices.

We don’t ever have to love Him back. But oh, if we choose to – what a wealth of life there is for us.

No laws to follow – just Jesus. And all he desires of us is to love – God, our neighbor – and oh, yes, our enemies, too. But you see, that’s possible with his love inside us if we allow it. Because we never again have to depend upon just our strength. Or just our love. Or just our patience. Or just our kindness. Or just our forgiveness.

It’s called grace. And it’s amazing.