When I was 16, the Christmas season didn’t go as planned. About a week before Christmas, I began experiencing some of the worst pain I’ve ever felt, leading to emergency abdominal surgery. Instead of opening presents at home on Christmas Day, I found myself in a hospital bed, many pounds lighter, recovering from a post-op infection. Worst Christmas ever.

My body wasn’t working properly—I felt broken. I wasn’t able to do all the things I wanted to do—my expectations for the Christmas season were broken. Everything felt broken.

Maybe this year, you feel a little like I did that Christmas—like something is broken. Perhaps it’s a relationship that isn’t what it used to be, or the absence of someone you love around the table. Maybe it’s broken because this season hasn’t turned out the way you thought it would.

Psalm 34 reminds us of an incredible truth: God is close to the brokenhearted. The promise of Christmas isn’t that life will be pain-free or perfect. The promise of Christmas is that in the middle of our brokenness, Jesus steps in.

He steps into our brokenness, sits with us in our pain, and promises to deliver us. Sometimes that deliverance looks like a change in our circumstances. Other times, it looks like His peace and presence sustaining us right in the middle of the storm. He is the Prince of Peace, bringing hope and restoration to the most shattered places in our lives.

No matter how broken this season feels, remember: God is close. He sees your pain, and He’s not far off. He is Emmanuel, God with us. And He promises that even in the hardest moments, He will be your refuge, your strength, and your hope.