Last Christmas as I watched Rise of the Guardians with my nieces and nephews for the nth time, a scene struck me in a way I have never noticed before. The scene was when North (Santa Claus) was talking to Jack Frost to answer his queries about why he was chosen to be a guardian. To illustrate his point, North showed Jack a Matryoshka doll of himself and its various layers but at the center of it was a doll with big eyes, “Yes! Big eyes, very big, because they are full of wonder. That is my center. It is what I was born with, eyes that have only seen the wonder in everything! Eyes that see lights in the trees and magic in the air. This wonder is what I put into the world, and what I protect in children. It is what makes me a guardian. It is my center, what is yours?”
The scene stayed with me until the start of the year. It’s a very beautiful way to depict how we are all different and that we all have a unique role to play in the grand scheme of things. That’s why this year I have made it one of my challenges to know what my center is; What can I contribute that only I can? It’s not about putting yourself above others but on the contrary it’s knowing yourself so that you can know how you can best love and serve God and others.
But this road to self-discovery has its fair share of challenges. The world will try to impinge on us certain things that are not just who we are. It will try to convince us that anything we try do will render insignificant. It will say that humanity has gone awry far beyond repair. It will say that it would be better to succeed on our own endeavors not minding the problems of the world because they do not affect us.
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But we will not be fazed. We stand our ground knowing it is built on solid foundation, the foundation of our faith. We dare to love our friends, our neighbors and our enemies even if it hurts. We hope beyond all hope that someday all this pain and suffering will be for a greater purpose. Why do we do all these? Simply because it’s who we are. We are a people of faith, hope and love.
So this year, my friend, I pray that you will find your truest self. May we all become the people we were created to be, not by the world’s standards but by God’s.
“Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. Your every act should be done with love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
