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Posted in Legal Law

Reflections on the meaning of Christmas

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all year long.

~Charles Dickens~

What usually comes to mind when Christmas approaches? Before we have a chance to think about it, ads bombard us from all directions, urging us to buy everything under the sun. We must cut through all the commercial trappings to get to the spiritual aspects of Christmas.

Christmas is about a birthday, that of Jesus. For some people, Jesus is the Son of God, part of the Trinity that constitutes God. To others, he was a good man who brought some new ideas on how to live in peace with each other. For others, Jesus is irrelevant to his daily life.

Regardless of our beliefs, I think we can all agree that a baby named Jesus was born around 2,000 years ago. The birth of any baby is truly a miracle. The study of embryology shows us the thousands of steps that must be successfully taken for a fertilized egg to develop into a living, breathing baby.

If you know someone who has a baby and you visit the baby twice a week apart, you will be surprised at the changes that have occurred between your two visits. The baby that used to stare without responding learns to smile, roll over, wave, clap, stand up, and eventually communicate with you.

Holding a newborn baby gives us a sense of wonder and reverence for life rather than allowing us to take life for granted. It’s a reminder of how far we’ve come since we came out of the womb. The innocence of a baby reminds us that we can look at things around us in a fresh way, no matter how jaded we have become over the years.

Babies hold great promise to the world. Alexander the Great, Churchill, Michelangelo, Mozart, and Shakespeare all started out as babies. Who could tell, looking at any of them like babies, what life would hold for them? What do you think your parents envisioned for you when you were born? If you have children, what did you imagine for them?

Sometimes we think we only get one chance in life. We feel trapped by how our parents raised us, by how we have allowed ourselves to be entangled in our mistakes, or by how others have treated us. Sometimes we stop at our physical or mental limitations or those imposed by poor health.

Somehow it seems easier to think about what we can’t do than what we can do. I remember the story of a woman who had no arms but became an excellent office manager and private secretary using her toes. Sometimes our limitations show us our capabilities or ways of doing things.

What does all this have to do with Christmas? We have the opportunity to be reborn with Jesus, not just at Christmas but every day. What if we wake up tomorrow morning without the old thought keeping us from trying something new? What could we do if we didn’t let our negative thoughts hold us back? Would you like to try?

Life Laboratory Lessons

  • Remember your own birthday.
  • What dreams do you think your parents had for you?
  • What dreams did you have as a child?
  • Start a new stage of your life today.
  • Try to live in peace with everyone you meet.

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