Christmas is a special time when we get together with our near and dear ones, those who are closest to us and share in the warmth of love. For those relatives and friends whom we are not able to be with at this time of year, we remember them with deep love and affection and radiate that warmth to them wherever they are.
There is a special spirit about this season. It is a time when we radiate warmth and love to all around us. And it is a time when we give, give, and give. Part of the joyousness of the season is due to these noble qualities which mostly people exhibit in abundance during this time of year. If we can capture that spirit and make it a part of ourselves all year round, we will help make our lives and the lives of those around us special and joyous every day.
We can make these three aspects of this season, fellow-feeling, love and giving a part and parcel of our lives. We find that during this time of the year people reach out to each other more. During the rest of the year, we are caught up in our day-to-day life. We hardly take the time to think about others. But somehow, during this season, we think more about others and try to show them how we feel. People tend to smile and laugh more. We take the time to listen to each other’s woes. If we could extend this sense of friendship and fellowship throughout the entire year, we would find our lives becoming more joyous.
We should not just know of our friends and neighbours during Christmas. We should reach out and touch their hearts all year around. We will find that we brighten not only our lives but the lives of all those with whom we come in contact.
The second quality of this season that we need to imbibe is love. During the holidays we find ourselves ex-pressing our love for those around us more readily. We are more patient, more tolerant, more compassionate to others. Our hearts are full of warmth and affection towards others. We need to develop love for God and for our spiritual Masters. As the saying goes, “Love beautifies everything.” Love turns life into a blooming paradise. Love makes even the most mundane place into heaven.
When we are lost in the love of God, we forget all our worldly pains and problems. We are intoxicated by his divine radiation. Our whole being is permeated with ecstasy.
When we become submerged in love of our Master, we will begin to radiate it to others. Our hearts will be filled with his love, and whoever comes in contact with us will receive a taste of that radiation. We will spread his fragrance where we go.
The third aspect of this season is giving. Self-service and giving are noble virtues the spiritual Masters wish us to imbibe. We should not only be giving during the holidays but all year round.
Sant Kabir Sahib said, “So long as we are in the body, we should give, give, and give.” Ultimately our hearts should be so large they encompass the whole of creation. Selfless service is so important that the Masters would often say that it is no less important than doing meditation.
So these virtues of fellowship, love, and selfless giving which we find in abundance during the holiday sea-son need to become a part of our lives all year round. If we can practice these virtues all year round, we will find that we will bring joy and cheer wherever we go. Then the happiness, the holy spirit, and the jolliness we find in people during this season will enliven the atmosphere all year round. Then we can make every day of the year a holiday for ourselves and for those around us.
Let us resolve to make Christmas and New Year’s the starting point for a successful year. Let us put more time into meditation. Let us be of use to others and render selfless service wherever we can. Let us try to become sweeter people, gentler people, more tender people, and more loving people.
The author is the head of the Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission.
Let us resolve to make Christmas and New Year the starting point for a successful year. Let us put more time into meditation. Let us be of use to others and render selfless service wherever we can. Let us try to become sweeter people, gentler people, more tender people, and more loving people.