I am so greatly blessed to have made so many lasting friends over the past fifty years of pastoral ministry. Though there are many friends that I have not seen in decades, we stay connected through an annual Christmas card or letter. Each card is filled with wishes for a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year, as well as joy and peace at Christmas.
But what about some of those Christmas letters? You know the ones I speak of! It is the letter from Aunt Sally or Cousin Jane that drags on and on forever, in which they brag about all the accomplishments of their children and grandchildren. Besides their being the smartest and most talented children in the world, they are also phenomenally successful and have reached the pinnacle from which they shall never fall.
If the truth is known, such letters usually bore us, and we cast them aside as more of an irritation rather than receiving them as the blessing they can be. What do I mean? Well, the very fact that someone sent us the letter in the first place is an indication that they are thinking of us. Obviously, though it may be in a small way, we really do matter to them.
Imagine never receiving a Christmas card or letter! Day after day, during the days leading up to Christmas, you open the mailbox only to find it empty. Another Christmas has come with no “Well-wishes” from a family member or friend. No one saying “I am thinking of you”
Though for most of us, the Christmas season is a time of great joy, there are many others for which it has become a dreadful, lonely, and miserable time of year. Numerous studies have been done that show depression and suicide rise during the holidays. The results of such studies vary; however, depression is a serious matter for many people who are alone.
Some years ago, the slogan of AT&T was “Reach out and touch someone.” We would each do well to do just that. As we continue through the annual holiday festivities, the endless parties and family gatherings, think of someone who needs to share in your joy. Perhaps it is the man across the street who recently lost his wife, or the woman next door who has children that never come to visit. Invite them to join your family for dinner or take them a plate of your homemade cookies. Something so simple can say “You matter to me.”
After all, isn’t that the message of Christmas? When God sent his Son into the world, born in a lonely cattle stall of the Virgin Mary, was He not saying to each of us, “I love you. You matter to Me.”
Jerry L. Dunn is pastor of Oak Street Baptist Church at605 E. Osk Street, Kingman.
