The Christmas letter

In keeping with our tradition in this column, we are sharing once again the letter I wrote to my eldest daughter, Cassandra, in 2011. Our readers will recall that she was just three years old when I wrote her this letter. I published that letter and shared it with our readers in this column on the eve of Christmas 12 years ago. It was my hope then that she would get to read the letter and understand its meaning when she was a little older.

I wrote this letter to answer some of her most important “why” questions.

Growing up, many of her questions had to do with human pain and suffering – questions like “Why are there wars” and “Why are people killing each other.”

This Christmas letter was my attempt to explain to her that things happen for a purpose and that everything is part of a grand divine plan.

Once again, here is the Christmas Letter I first shared with our readers in 2011: Dearest Cassandra,

The questions you ask me have not always been easy. They’re usually tough. And sometimes, I felt I might not be able to satisfy your “Why.”

My heart would break the day I see a disappointed look on your face because you felt my answer to your “why” had not been wise.

So, I decided to write in advance my answer to an important question I knew you would ask me someday.

Now that you’ve asked, “Why is there Christmas,” I have come prepared for a dad-answer.

Do you remember the many times I told you that, as your dad, I will make sure you have everything you need? And that the reason I do that is because I love you so much?

Well, there is another “Dad” – a much bigger “Dad” – who feels much the same way about you. You call Him God. Yes, the One you prayed to with your mom just before you went to bed every night as you were growing up.

Do you remember the many times I told you that you must never, never forget that I love you? Well, God wants the very same thing. He wants you to never forget how much He loves you.

To make sure you never forget, He gave you one gift. The gift is Jesus. Yes, Jesus, the baby in the manger in the mini-bethlehem which you used to place under our Christmas Tree. Jesus was born because God went out of His way to make sure you never forget you are loved by the biggest Dad of all.

God gave you Jesus because you need Him. We all need Him. We need Him because life is too tough to live by ourselves. There’ll be problems. There’ll be people who won’t be good to you. There’ll be big disappointments. Frustrations. Sometimes, these will make you angry. Very angry.

Sometimes, these will break your heart. And, sometimes, no one, even mom and dad, could help you feel better. Sometimes, we won’t be there for you. That’s why God gave you Jesus. You can always talk to Him. All you have to do is believe He is with you. Jesus promised something – that He will never leave you nor let you go through tough times all by yourself. It’s a promise you can always count on. I know.

There’s Christmas so you’ll never forget this – that Jesus was born for you.

But there’s another “why” to Christmas. Christmas reminds us that Jesus also has to be born in your heart. In you. So you can also be Jesus to others.

I know you’ll ask “why” you have to be Jesus to others. Here’s what I think.

It is because there are people in your life who will go through tough times. Through disappointments. Heartbreaks. Frustrations. They’ll be sad, sometimes very angry. And they won’t know what to do and they will feel so alone with their hurts and pains.

Someday, you will learn how to help them. How to lend them your hand. How to feel what they feel and to tell them that they have the strength within them that they need to move on. You will make them feel that they are not alone. That they have a friend in you. When you do so, that’s being Jesus to them.

My daughter, your heart is like the manger in Bethlehem. You will have to let Jesus lay there – for people in your life to feel his presence.

When you let that happen, the people in your life will also know what Christmas really means and why there is Christmas. May it always be Christmas for you.

Love,

Dad