O Holy Night” is a Christmas hymn we need to sing loudly. We need to sing it during Advent and Christmas—and if I had my way, we’d belt it out every month of the year. These lines tell us a deep truth:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

’Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth

When God, in an act of ultimate humility, came to us as a mere child and then suffered as only Jesus could suffer, we learned something about the vast value God places on us. Christmas offers many truths, but surely this is one: You are of great worth to God.

Taking these cues, I bring you a prayer and a blessing: To all who’ve been dismissed or tossed aside; to all who, made bitter by the cracks in your story, now tremble or seethe at the mention of ”love”; to every weary-boned parent saddled with regret or loss or despair; to every child, grown yet still yearning for tenderness and acceptance; to every one of us who compulsively judge our reflection in the mirror or replay conversations over and over or carry every criticism to a dark, dark place; to each of us who are ashamed of our fears and our machinations and who hide the fact that in our own sophisticated ways we still have to leave the light on at night . . .

I pray that you will know, these beautiful days, the profound worth of your soul, the sturdy weight of your being. There is an astounding splendor in you—and I know this because the God of all beauty and power has called you into existence. And God delights in the sheer presence that is you. In these days, I pray you sing this song aloud—and I pray you’ll sing it to one another.

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 2 Peter 1:2-21