The Christmas Present of Grace

Do you have a memory from your childhood where you recall a special gift that was underneath the Christmas tree just for you?  If you haven’t had that experience, can you recall a time that brought a warm feeling of being special?  Hold that thought!

As we know from the story of the birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem, He was born of little means.  However, as He lived His life, it became obvious to His community that He was a profound teacher.  He taught many things, often by example – love, acceptance, kindness, gentleness, patience, humility, forgiveness, compassion, tolerance, etc.

When we’re born, we receive a gift of the life that God provided for us.  On earth, however, we get tumbled around a bit and our life takes many unexpected turns.  We often lose our sense of the gift we were born with and become disconnected from our deep, spiritual self, our soul.  We lose hope, we lose faith, we lose our self esteem or we lose our way.

In Genesis 1:26, it states: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness….’”  This is a hard concept to understand because we think of our physical image.  But, in Matthew 16:25, Jesus said: “For what profit is it to man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”  On earth, it is easy to forget that we hold within our deepest spiritual self, our soul.  Our soul is where our divinity lies.  Because Jesus displayed human decency, respect and dignity toward all, He acknowledged the importance of honoring each person because each person carries within him or her self that “image” of God – our soul, our being, God’s Light.

On this earth, we are given many chances to show kindness or gentleness or compassion – providing dignity and human decency.  Some consider these traits to be weak – ironically, however, these traits feel good when someone extends them to us.  The story of the New York Police Officer this past week, humbling himself to the homeless man, buying him boots so he wouldn’t go barefoot in the cold, is a perfect example.  There’s a saying: “We never know when we’re in the company of angels” – maybe we’re always in the company of angels!  How many people passed that homeless man, thinking – oh well, just another homeless man in New York.

A gentle act of kindness can show dignity toward another human being.  When we realize the depth of spirituality in each human, it is not so easy to pass them by.  Possibly on this Christmas, you can begin with yourself – honor yourself, take good care of yourself, treat yourself with dignity – realize you are a vessel carrying His Light.  By so doing, you will provide yourself with a special gift, a gift of Grace.  In addition, you can then extend those same traits to others – the dignity that is due to all humans.  Even if there’s not a special gift under the Christmas tree, you will have provided an even better gift by honoring your Light within – a gift of Grace that I hope provides you with that special feeling you experienced as a child.

Wishing you a Blessed Christmas!