More From Karen Tarine

Greetings! I’m Karen,in my devotion, I shared my experience of losing a dear loved one—my father—during the most wonderful time of the year: Christmas. I shared the dilemma of how to celebrate Christmas when everybody is in festive spirits while I’m a lonely child who misses her father. Yet God remains true to God’s promises and is with us. I always feel God embracing my mom, my siblings, and me with such love that does not erase our pain, but helps us overcome it.

It was the year 2019 when my Papa died. The year that COVID-19 pandemic started. 2020 was a very hard year for us too, as lockdowns were implemented in our country, the Philippines. This meant that the cemetery was closed, and we couldn’t visit Papa. I also lost my job. It was not easy experiencing my father’s death, the pandemic, and losing my job all at once.

I definitely hit rock bottom at that time. I admit that deep inside me,there’s the doubt and continuous worry about what will happen to us. But I pray as the father of the sick child prays in Mark 9:24, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” I continue to hold on to the promise that God is with us, Emmanuel. And truly God is. God continues to provide for our every meal and send people to help us. I am forever grateful to God, for embracing us so tightly.

I recently got a job, my dream job that I have been praying for. It took almost a year for me to be employed but it’s worth it. Honestly, I must say that this part of journey in my life really shook my faith. But at the core of my soul and my mind, I choose to believe Emmanuel. God is with us, because 2,000 years ago God literally came to us in form of a baby. And as I ponder that, it makes Christmas feel different for me.