Today is December 22, 2011 and it is pretty obvious that Christmas is so near and that the number of nights and days left before Christmas can easily be counted. In this kind of season, the usual and expected emotion of everyone would be happy, glad, joyous or whatever positive feeling that one could think of. But for our countrymen down south, it’s the other way around.
At this point, they may no longer anticipate the coming of Christmas as their positive feeling and excitement towards the holiday were changed into a mournful state. Some of us may wonder why this kind of tragedy needs to happen despite the coming of Christmas and why should we still value the celebration despite all of these bad things occurring in our lives.
But, we should [put in mind] that we still have the reason to celebrate the event no matter what happens around us. Christmas is not really about the happiness that the world has to offer. It is more of the genuine meaning that we need to remember and to emulate for us to be able to truly celebrate it in the best way that we can. Celebrating Christmas is really about remembering the birth of hope, the true worth of sacrifice, the act of being selfless, the strengthening of faith, and the joy of giving.
Christmas is about the coming of hope. Hope came when a savior was born in this earth in order to break the darkness that covered humanity over centuries. It was this moment when hope was delivered through an innocent little child that [later on] became a king, who conquered everyone’s hearts.
Christmas is about the sacrifice that God gave to mankind. He sacrificed his lordship by undergoing a kind of transformation that has changed everything. It was this kind of sacrifice that gave him much pain and suffering in order for him to be able to give his own life in exchange of our own.
Christmas is about becoming selfless. Christ wasn’t so mindful in the kind of suffering that he’ll be experiencing from the hands of the enemies. He chose not to think of his own self just because he truly values others. He managed to get out from his own comfort zone for the sake of giving comfort to others.
Christmas is about giving. God gave us his own beloved son not because he wanted to receive something in return from us. He gave us salvation not because we asked for it. He gave us salvation because he thinks that it is the proper thing to do. Christmas is really about giving what’s best for others without asking them for something more valuable in return. It is really about the joy of giving that is silently whispering within our hearts.
Christmas is about the faith. It is about how strong our faith is in believing that God did turn into man in order to give light in this world through the element of hope, sacrifice, selflessness, and the act of giving.
Christmas can still be meaningful to everyone even though something tragic happened. The spirit of the event can still be felt in the midst of a devastating calamity through ordinary people, who continuously exercise greatness in order for others to become great.
With this, I’m appealing to my readers worldwide to help my countrymen rise from the grounds of calamity that they are currently undergoing. Let’s all help them not because of pity, but because it is the proper thing to do. This is the right time to exercise the goodness that resides deep within our hearts by helping the victims of typhoon Sendong. Let’s unselfishly share our blessings in order to show them how blessed they are to be part of this society.
It’s not too late! We can still unleash the greatness that we are meant to become. Let’s all bring hope to the survivors of this calamity by exercising the greatness that can be found in each one of us.
“We're not born GREAT, but we are destined to be GREAT
in order for us to spread GREATNESS in this world.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
For donations for the victims of typhoon Sendong,
kindly visit Philippine Red Cross
For donations for the victims of typhoon Sendong,
kindly visit Philippine Red Cross