Christmas celebrates a simple truth: Each of us is a divine child, born fragile and delicate, pure of heart, and magnificent with unfathomable promise and potential.
Daily life makes it difficult to stay in touch with that spark of divine light. We struggle to survive, maintain, and cope with modern life, which increasingly grows more complex and convoluted. We have more information than we can possibly integrate or digest, and seemingly far more responsibilities than we can handle. At sea in a world where we must stay in control, we grow up quickly, and we encourage our children to do the same. Naiveté is seen as a failing. Innocence, a useless flaw in a ruthless world.
And yet the divine child in each of us stays alive and active, even if we are unconscious of its presence. It dwells in our hearts, feeds our imagination, fires our desire to believe. It allows us to hope. No matter what scars of bitterness or brokenness our hearts may bear, this divine child endures. Its innocence nourishes and sustains our resilience, a resilience that supports the potential to survive suffering, no matter how brutal, and to return to life. When we nourish the divine child within us, we look at the world through eyes of wonder and awe, humble and curious about what lies ahead. Willing to try again and again.
Christmas celebrates our innocence. And innocence is non-sectarian. As is joy, happiness, love, and the wish for peace and prosperity. So regardless of your religious affiliation, take a moment to celebrate the divine child. Honor its strength, acknowledge its wisdom, respect its innocence. Make a commitment to help it to mature into a compassionate heart, open and vulnerable, and despite the challenges and complexities of life, skillful at maintaining hope and love.
– Ralfee Finn
