When I think about Christmas — and especially its tunes — I tend to love the ones that have a special meaning more than any others. Perhaps it’s the time of year and what the season truly means, or perhaps it’s because I write for a living and words mean a lot to me.

One of my favorite songs to listen to during the holidays is “I Come with Love” by Harry Connick Jr. (surprise, surprise to anyone who knows me).

In a world that’s seemingly full of tragedies and evil at every turn, this song reminds me that there is something bigger at work. It reminds me that God had a purpose for sending His Son here — and it was to bring love to those who needed it most.

I come with love
I come with love
To worship and honor
My Father above
And so with my eyes
I say to you
Softly and peacefully
I come with love

Sometimes I can’t wrap my head around the fact that this tiny, perfect, innocent baby would grow into a soft-spoken-but-deliberate, faith-breathing, miracle-working, salvation-giving man. Those who visited Him after his birth had no idea what they (or the world) were in for.

His entrance could have been so different. He could have been born in a pristine building with sparkling floors and high ceilings. He could have been swaddled in 1,000-thread count blankets. He could have had His name signed in gold ink to His birth certificate.

But instead, He was born in a stable — not a five-star hotel. His mother wrapped Him in whatever she could find. And He opened His eyes for the first time to see animals — not nurses or doctors or dignitaries or kings or princes — around Him.

He came into the world showcasing that “charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

He came with love. For each of us. For the stay-at-home moms and the ones who head to the office each day. For the men in the military. For those who may have made a bad choice along the way and find themselves in prison. For the ones on top of the mountain — and the ones down in the valley. For the deacons and the president. For the mentally disabled and the geniuses alike. For the ones who don’t know Him yet. For the ones who don’t think they need Him.

He came with love. May we make His purpose our own. He is the reason for this season — and every one in between.

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.