More from Kumalawaty Sundari

The idea of sharing Christmas joy with old people at the nursing homes actually came from a friend of mine. Though as high school students we were busy all the time, handling so many tasks and having to take lots of exams, we all agreed that we wouldn’t lose anything by doing this and that it would be the best Christmas we ever had.

That’s true! I know that I wrote about this to you because this experience really left a deep impression to me. I still remember it after about twenty years. At first, we thought that it would be very difficult to blend together with the older people living there. Besides we also worried that the activities or food we had prepared wouldn’t satisfy them, and we weren’t sure if we could have a good camaraderie with them as usually there is a distance between old and young people. However, we decided to continue our plan, preparing all so well and not forgetting to pray that would make our plan go smoothly.

Unexpectedly, that day became a cheerful day for all of us. I could see clearly from their faces that our coming was like a day that they had been waiting for a long time! Though we were only there for a few hours, our conversation with them was so alive, as if whatever we desired to give could please their hearts and give them hope and joy. We were very glad that our hard work to prepare the best for them wasn’t in vain; even that became an unforgettable memory ensuring us that it’s better to give than just to plan a luxurious Christmas celebration for ourselves.

It’s not wrong at all to please our hearts as we celebrate Christmas, but the most important thing is that other people can see how Jesus shines in our lives. I know that’s the real meaning of Christmas, which not only blesses me but also gives a good impact for others, freeing them from the chain of darkness. If we insist that we never have time for others, just living for ourselves, great emptiness will fill our hearts. Whenever God’s Spirit moves us to do something for others, our answering “yes” to God’s call will make God’s presence fill us, and surely we will be happy along the way. 

I admit that there were lots of pressures in my friend’s and my studies since we attended a very reputable and rigorous school, but our commitment to serve the Lord with all that we could was far greater than our reasons to not share God’s love. The result was then very satisfying for all of us: Our good plan to glorify God could be successful, and we could handle well our study, however hard it was.

Have you ever thought about making Christmas joy real in this world? Just doing a small thing that God’s Spirit inspires surely can make a big change, raising hope for people who are in despair and especially showing them clearly that Jesus was born for them since our act reflecting his character tells how he loves them so much.

Have a merry and blessed Christmas!