Dear Friend
First I want to thank you for reading my stories you encourage me to keep going. Though I could make one of several excuses, the bottom-line was lethargy. With the advent of shorter days and longer nights in addition to the onset of the cold weather, my inclination to put pen to paper took off like a kite on a breezy day. It is my privilege and joy to find someone who cares to read my stories. Yet I allowed this pleasure to slip away as a result of the external circumstances that seeped into my psyche, thus causing lethargy to become my companion. Indeed “he who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap¹.” But you, my friend, have affirmed the truth that “two are better than one… for if they fall, one will lift up his companion².”
No doubt dear friend we are all caught in the pull of the external from time to time but you see, that is why we have each other. “No man is an island” is not just a cliché. We do need each other for none of us can thrive in isolation. We need people around us – family, friends, acquaintances, peers and even adversaries. While some love and encourage us, others test our inner strength by challenging and withstanding us. You have given me the zeal to keep going through your smile and God fearing heart. Someone has even been forthright enough to challenge me to ‘get on with it!’ Whichever part you played, here is the fruit of it – ink on paper. Therefore, I say, ‘thank you.’
Depending on what part of the world you find yourself in, the Christmas season can be quite frenetic. Lights and decorations in homes, shops and streets; heavy traffic both of people and cars; shopping centres overflowing with the whole world and their cousins; jolly music putting you in the mood to spend; carollers wishing you a merry Christmas, and more. Even the animals are not left out. In
Nonetheless, beneath all the brightness and gaiety lie many a hungry heart
Hearts hungry for love
Some without families close by to spend the season with
Others with families they wish they did not have
Some without money to buy gifts
Others with gifts they do not want
Some without food
Others with food more than they can ever eat
Some with money but no one to spend it on
Others with little money and too many demanding a portion thereof
Some making themselves ill from all the stress and strain of preparing for the big day
Others too ill to concern themselves with all the razzmatazz
Some bring out the cans and start to beg
Others drop in coins as part of their annual dose of generosity
Whichever side of the street you’re on there is the cry for love
The giver, the receiver; the rich, the poor; the stuffed, the hungry; the whole, the broken; the strong, the weak; the laughing, the crying; the young, the old; and all in between; every heart is hungry for love
But I am Hungry for your Love
So, my friend, what are you going to do about it? Buy presents for everyone? Place coins in every can? Donate to every charity? Hardly. Yet even if you could, can material things satisfy the cry of the heart? Think about yourself. How long does the joy of a gift received last? Christians celebrate Christmas as evidence of God’s love i.e. God so loved the world that he gave his beloved son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16 The Bible). Indeed God allowed the Christ child to be born specifically to identify with the human race and eventually pay the penalty for that which no human religion or philosophy has the answer – sin.
And we are grateful for this. Still the yearning inside remains. That cry which expresses itself in diverse kinds of attitudes and behaviours. The inner cry that says ‘love me’. Many associate gifts as an expression of love. Although this idea has its merit, there is little doubt that gifts can be given with absolutely no love involved. Remember the famous ‘ulterior motive’?
What then are we to do about love? How can we impart the depth of our love to others? And how do we get the love we need for ourselves? Lawyers often quote a latin maxim – nemo dat quod non habet – to buttress the point that you cannot give what you do not have. By all means go out there and share in the true spirit of the season – the joy, generosity and peace that accompanied the birth of Christ, but most of all I wish you love. Love for yourself, in the way that is personal and uniquely comprehensible to you. Some say it is better to give than to receive. I am not sure of the veracity of that, for I love to receive gifts and know most people do too. But I do believe it is more blessed to give than to receive, for often when we give from the heart without pressure or constraint, we find joy for ourselves in the delight or fulfilment of the recipient.
So my friend, I wish you love. As you give to others not in a bid to get in return but from the overflow of your love-tank, may it be replenished with much more in return. I pray that your love-tank will continually be filled throughout this season and the year ahead. And as you are filled, the more you are able to overflow on to others; and as you share your love, you create room in your tank to receive more.
I wish you love.
Love in all its ramifications.
Love in ways meaningful to you.
Love of the Father, love of a friend, love of a family.
I wish you love.
Love beyond measure.
Love to embrace and to share.
Love that knows no end.
¹ Ecclesiastes 11:4
² Ecclesiastes 4:9,10
© 2006 Olumide S. Adeoye-King
