"Though we see about us the darkness of unrest, of family discord, of class struggle, of competitive jealousy and of national hatred, the light shall shine and drive it out....The eternal light shall come to earth and give it a new radiance; it shines into the midst of night and makes us children of the light. Only those who are reborn as children shall become children of the light." Emmy Arnold - Source: Watch for the Light www.plough.com
As far back as I can remember, I often could see through things that I thought were not always fair. And I know that I'm not the only one who has intuition. We all do; it's just a question of noticing and hearing it. Have you paid attention to your finely tuned intuition as the years go by? And what are we now supposed to do with it, when the unfairness is so clear to us? Throughout my life, this gift of seeing through things has often caused me great pain because I really didn't know how to use it or what to do about it. All I ever really wanted to be was fair. But what's even more devastating to me these days is that the grievances that I had put behind me are now magnified before me on the larger screen of life and it's left me disappointed once more.
I know now that I need to take more responsibility for myself because I realize that I'd let unfairness around me slip by, believing that God, who is all just, was going to take care of it. And you know something else that I've noticed along the way? Those things that I thought were unfair slipped past everyone else as well! Those grievances that we allowed ended up causing much more sorrow and hardships later on for everyone around us who stood by and did nothing.
I believe this happens often because there are many of us who do not want to point fingers or place blame, especially with members of our own family; that's the reason this silence begins. But remember, we're all trying to see fairness through the dark now. We're all trying our best to be good, moral people. Something else I've learned is that being a kind and good person doesn't stop the unfairness around us. Being silent allows unfairness to continue and until it diminishes every bit of hope, that is, unless we're courageous enough to believe there are those around us, seen and unseen, who support us.
Here is Christmas: time to trust our hearts all the way! Time to proudly stand, walk, and talk together. We seek those who will help us break through glass ceilings that bring more light in for each other. This is all we have to do and we will remain stronger together in goodwill, love, and peace on earth. Mark 3:31-35 sums it up: "Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, 'Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.' 'Who are my mother and my brothers?' he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.'" And that's where Christmas is.
About Catherine Nagle: Catherine grew up in Philadelphia with 16 brothers and sisters, reared by loving, old-school Italian parents. Catherine's artist father's works graced churches and public buildings; her mother was a full-time homemaker. A professional hairdresser, Catherine worked in various salons while studying the Bible and pursuing spiritual growth through courses, seminars, lectures, works of Marianne Williamson, and conferences, including the National Theology of the Body Congress. She is also an Ambassador of the Society of Emotional Intelligence. The mother of two children and now a grandmother, Catherine lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and son. She is the Author of Imprinted Wisdom and a contributor to Anne Born's These Winter Months: The Late Orphan Project Anthology.