God With Us This Christmas—Wherever Home May Be

This Christmas reflection explores the meaning of Emmanuel—God with us—through life on the road, homeschooling, global mission, and finding home in unexpected places.

Christmas has looked different for us over the years.

For three years, we lived full-time on the road—RV life, roadschooling, learning geography by windshield and history by campfire conversations- usually with strangers.

Home was wherever we parked that night. Then God settled us in Indiana, where we now have a sticks and bricks home. We still homeschool. We still live simply. 

But the miles have slowed, even if the heart still wanders.

And now, here we are again—writing this from our home away from home away from home: Blue Angel Recreational Park in Pensacola, Florida. 

White sand instead of snow. 

Shorts instead of coats. 

And yet… it still feels like Christmas.

That’s because Christmas has never been about a location.

It has always been about presence-not to be confused with presents.

God didn’t just come to a stable once; He continues to dwell within us- wherever we are.

Christmas Is About Presence, Not Place

The heart of Christmas is found in a single, staggering truth:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)

• The word dwelt literally means to pitch a tent. God didn’t just visit—He set up home among us.

• Paul reminds us that our bodies are also like tents, fragile dwellings that now carry His Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:1, 6:16).

• Just as God pitched His tent in Bethlehem, He continues to dwell within us today, making even the smallest, humblest spaces sacred.

• As people who once lived in an RV, that language hits close to home. We know what it means to set up, tear down, and make sacred space out of small places.

• God did the same, but on an eternal scale.

At Christmas, God chose vulnerability.  

God chose nearness.  

God chose humanity.

Not a palace.  

Not power.  

Not prestige.

A baby. A feeding trough. A borrowed place to sleep.

God With Us: Why the Word Became Flesh

Christmas is God crossing the greatest distance imaginable—not miles but holiness to brokenness. Heaven to earth. Eternity to time.

And He didn’t do it because we were doing well.

He did it because we weren’t.

“For unto you is born this day… a Savior.” (Luke 2:11)

Not a life coach.  

Not a motivational speaker.  

A Savior.

Christmas begins with the honest admission that we needed saving.

A Savior for the Whole World

Through our time with Giving Basics, we’ve been blessed to walk alongside families in Malawi—people whose Christmas celebrations look nothing like ours. Different food. Different songs. Different daily realities.

Yet the same Christ.

Jesus was not born into wealth or comfort. He entered poverty, instability, and political tension. He was born under occupation. His family would soon become refugees.

That means...

No place on earth is foreign to Him.  

No culture is outside His concern.  

No family is unseen.

Christmas reminds us that the Gospel is not Western, wealthy, or comfortable—it is good news for the whole world.

 Emmanuel in Every Season

Some Christmases feel full.  

Some feel heavy.  

Some feel quiet.  

Some feel uncertain.

We’ve known all of those seasons—on the road, settling down, raising kids, serving others, learning to trust God in places we didn’t expect to stay.

And here is the promise that holds through them all:

“They shall call his name Emmanuel (which means, God with us).” -Matthew 1:23

Not God above us.  

Not God disappointed in us.  

But God with us.

With us in RV parks and permanent homes.  

With us in Indiana snow and Florida sunshine.  

With us in homeschool days and the mission field.  

With us when life feels anchored—and when it feels temporary.

The Invitation of Christmas

Christmas does not ask us to have it all together.

It invites us to come close.

To slow down.  

To receive.  

To remember that God entered our story so we could be brought into His.

Wherever you are reading this—from a busy house, a quiet campground, or somewhere in between—know this:

God is not far.  

He has already come near.

And that is why, no matter where we are,  

it can truly be Christmas.

 A Christmas Prayer

Lord Jesus,  

Thank You for pitching Your tent within us, dwelling in our hearts, our homes, and our lives today

Thank You for leaving heaven to dwell among us—  

not in comfort, but in humility;  

not in distance, but in love.

As we celebrate Your birth, remind us that You are Emmanuel,  

God with us in every place and every season.  

Be with families on the move and those who are settled,  

with children learning at kitchen tables and campgrounds,  

with neighbors near and far—especially our brothers and sisters around the world.

Teach us to receive the gift of Your presence,  

to live with gratitude,  

and to carry Your light into dark and ordinary places.

May our homes—wherever they are—be places of peace.  

May our lives reflect the hope You brought into the world.

Thank you for your presence (and presents) today,  

King Jesus.  

Amen.

• I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences, feel free to leave a comment below. 

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