Sunday, December 26, 2010

The Cure for Christmas Blues

If you are ever far from home and lonely on Christmas, just visit a Bangladeshi prison. It will quickly cure you (as it did me) of any self pity you might be holding. Especially when the prisoners you visit are in a minority religion, from a minority tribal group, and grew up in a small, poor village. And they are underage, perhaps innocent of anything, and utterly clueless of when their cases might move forward.

While I might be far from those I love and the traditions I know, I've had a lovely Christmas and was able to freely celebrate in many languages with people from around the world. I choose to be here. It was a real blessing to meet, pray with and try to encourage those who don't get to choose. And it was a good reminder of how blessed I am.

3 comments:

Chelsea said...

Hey, I was praying for your Christmas! It's hard to be away from family and even harder, I'm sure, if you're also away from your new home. But yeah - amazing how experiences like yours can cause such a powerful paradigm shift. Praying that you'll find continued joy as God's glorious presence swallows up despair in their lives and yours.

HeatherV said...

Kenny, merry Christmas! Thanks for sharing your experiences. You're challenging me. Much love, Heather

merhiser said...

Blessed to be a blessing, Kenny. Love you!