Christmas has always been a joyful holiday for me. My mother loved everything about Christmas and worked hard to make it special for us all. One of my favorite memories is singing Christmas carols every year as she and I decorated sugar cookies together. My father reading the Christmas story from our old family Bible. But, I know, that for many, Christmas calls up painful memories of disappointment and hurt. It is not the warm, joyous holiday presented in books, movies, and TV programs.

In Redeeming Christmas, both Gabe and Liv have painful pasts. Both suffered tragedies at Christmas time. But with the help of her grandparents and her decision to trust the promises of her Heavenly Father, Liv has been able to move beyond the pain and loss to find Christmas joy.

For Gabe, however, Christmas is a time of loss and failure. Of painful consequences for past choices he’s made. Christmas is not a time of celebration. And then he meets Liv. She helps him understand that his past mistakes are not a life sentence.

Have you ever felt trapped? Beyond hope? Take heart. No failure, no loss is beyond the reach of God. All we have to do is ask. He has promised He will hear and answer. He will redeem.

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

Isaiah 43:1