Christmas has always been my favourite time of the year. In Nigeria, the harmattan season usually sets in sometime in late October or early November, and the dry and dusty air of the season has always felt sort of magical to me as it is a reminder that Christmas is around the corner. Growing up, there was always so much to look forward to during Christmas: assorted food and goodies, new clothes and stuff, visits with family members and friends, and lots of fun things to do. But in 1988, there was no excitement as the Christmas season approached. Life had happened and there was an empty seat at the table in my birth family. A key figure was missing from our lives. My mother, the one who with her love and ingenuity always made Christmas so special, had passed on six months earlier. And Christmas lost its magic for me that year.
I do not recall that we put up a Christmas tree or decorated the house that year. Family friends and close family members, especially my late mother’s sisters (bless their dear hearts) all reached out to my siblings and me in various ways. Although we were in many ways comforted by their kind acts and generosities, I still felt lost and did not know what to make of Christmas. I share this because I know that there are people who probably feel like I did in the Christmas of 1988. While people everywhere seem so festive and mill around decorated streets shopping and preparing for Christmas day, you are reminded of your loss or of what could have been. It could be that within the year, you lost a loved one, or a job, or a home. It could be that you have been diagnosed with some disease that leaves you terrified; it is possible that you are reading this while you are in a hospital room. Perhaps the harsh economic situation has left you in debt and unsure of what the future holds. And it may not be any of these. It could be that you have a great job, but no-one to share it with. As people share snapshots with loved ones, you are reminded of what you do not have. Whatever the case, God loves you and is for you!
If you are hurting, He feels your every pain and longs to comfort you. If you feel alone, He wants you to know that He is there for you and you don’t have to be alone. If you feel like you do not have any reason to celebrate, you can rejoice in His unconditional love for you. One of my favourite scriptures, Romans 8:31-39 goes thus: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? …Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? …in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Beyond the decorations and the gifts we give out and receive at Christmas, the central message of Christmas is that God loves us and sent Jesus to earth because of us! This is what Christmas is all about: God’s love for mankind! Regardless of whether you receive a Christmas gift or not, please know that God loves you with a love that is unconditional! I pray that the Christmas lights and decorations you come across, and indeed everything that speaks of Christmas – the carols, the joy in the air, the festive mood etc. – will whisper this message to you over and over again: God loves you! May His love for you be more real than ever, and may His joy and peace be yours in this season and in the coming year! Merry Christmas!.
P/S: May I please encourage us all to reach out in various ways to share God’s love with others especially the vulnerable? Thank you!.
