THE VIEW FROM RIZAL
For 10 consecutive years, I have been sharing with our readers a letter I wrote to my eldest daughter, Cassandra.
I wrote a Christmas letter to my eldest daughter, Cassandra, when she was just three years old. I first shared it with our readers in this column on the eve of Christmas, 2011.
Why did I write this letter?
Cassandra had started to ask me the “Why” questions. Questions like, “why do we have a Christmas tree,” “Why are there stars and glitters on the tree,” “why are there gifts under the tree,” and more “why.” In this letter, I attempted to explain to her that there are no accidents in life.
Everything is part of one grand divine plan.
Here is the Christmas Letter:
Dearest Cassandra,
The questions you ask me have not always been easy. They’re usually tough. And sometimes, I felt I might not be able to satisfy your “Why.” My heart would break the day I see a disappointed look in your face because you felt my answer to your “why” had not been wise.
So, I decided to write in advance my answer to an important question I knew you would ask me someday.
Now that you’ve asked, “Why is there Christmas,” I have come prepared for a Dad-answer.
You remember the many times I told you that, as your dad, I will make sure you have everything you need? And that the reason I do that is because I love you so much?
Well, there is another “Dad” – a much bigger “Dad” – who feels much the same way about you. You call Him God. Yes, the One you prayed to with your mom just before you went to bed every night as you were growing up.
You remember the many times I told you that you must never, never forget that I love you? Well, God wants the very same thing. He wants you to never forget how much He loves you.
To make sure you never forget, He gave you One gift - Jesus. Yes, the baby in the manger in the mini-Bethlehem which you used to place under our Christmas Tree. Jesus was born because God went out of His way to make sure you never forget you are loved by the biggest Dad of all.
God gave you Jesus because you need Him. We ALL need Him because Life is too tough to live by ourselves. There’ll be problems. There’ll be people who won’t be good to you. There’ll be big disappointments. Frustrations. Sometimes, these will make you angry. Very angry.
Sometimes, these will break your heart and no one, even Mom and Dad, could help you feel better. That’s why God gave you Jesus. You can always talk to Him. All you have to do is believe He is with you. Jesus promised something – that He will never leave you nor let you go through tough times all by yourself. It’s a promise you can always count on. I know.
There’s Christmas so you’ll never forget this – that Jesus was born for you.
But there’s another “why” to Christmas. Christmas reminds us that Jesus also has to be born in your heart. In you. So you can also be Jesus to others.
I know you’ll ask “why” you have to be Jesus to others. Here’s what I think.
It is because there are people in your life who will go through tough times. They’ll be sad, sometimes very angry. They won’t know what to do and t would feel so alone with their hurts and pains.
Someday, you will learn how to help them. You will make them feel that they are not alone. That they have a friend in you.
That’s being Jesus to them.
Your heart will be like the manger in Bethlehem. You will have to let Jesus lay there – for people in your life to feel his presence.
When you let that happen, they would also know what Christmas really means.
May it always be Christmas for you.
Love,
Dad.
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