Early yesterday morning I headed to the airport to farewell an International student returning to his home country to continue his studies. I thought about how great it was that after a rough year he would be back home, with his family in time for Christmas.

A year or so ago, we were hoping to have all the family ‘home’ for 2020 Christmas. My parents will not be in the family home for too much longer and so we knew this was probably going to be their last Christmas there. They wanted all their children to be around.

A few months into the year we took a guess that the younger brother in the UK wasn’t going to make it.

However, we were ever hopeful and prayerful that the Melbourne crew would make it… and until the last 48 hours it looked like they would. Now they might not be making it to Sydney with travel advice from Victoria suggesting to stay away.

Sure, we might meet them outside of Sydney, but that’s obviously not the family home.

So… probably the last Christmas in the family home has been ruined and it’s been alleged that someone who had Covid symptoms and took the test was too selfish to follow the rules. Instead they decided to saunter all over Sydney.

‘Selfishness that ruins so many people’s Christmas’ I thought yesterday. But then I stopped. And I realised.

If humanity wasn’t selfish, there would be no Christmas in the first place.

If humanity wasn’t ‘all about me’ and all about doing whatever they wanted, when they wanted… and completely ignoring God, then Jesus would never have needed to come to earth in the first place.

It’s only because of sin that we need Christmas.

At Christmas God has given us a model to follow: a model of love, peace, joy and… forgiveness.

We may have had our Christmas plans ruined, right at the last minute – and for the last time in the family home – but Christmas tells us that we need to be forgiving.

Regardless of whether this impact on Christmas was the result of an accident or selfishness, we need to keep our hearts in line with the Christmas Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, thankfulness, gentleness and self control.

Self control to not get angry, like I was yesterday. Self control to forgive and give grace.

I’m glad some people have made it home for Christmas.

Yours in controlling herself,

Alison