Devotional: Showing Kindness to those around you
Written by Sunny Unachi on 1st December 2025
Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-7
‘The people who are now living in darkness will see a great light. They are now living in a very dark land. But a light will shine on them.’ (V2)
“To live without hope is to cease to live”. So wrote Russian novelist Dostoevsky. When we lose hope we’re in danger of falling into despair. Advent invites us to look towards the hope of Christmas. Not simply trees, presents, and a welcome break from work. Rather the promised arrival of God in a manger. Not the infant meek and mild of the carols, but God born on earth to restore expectation and confidence for everyone. The God whose divine spark exists within each one of us and who boldly tells us to follow Him through all of life’s storms.
This advent, or season of possibilities, is our personal opportunity to consider again what God means to us and what we need from God. After their disobedience, God said to Adam and Eve, ‘Where are you?’ We must ask ourselves, are we in darkness today? Lost with a sense of meaninglessness and uncertainty surrounding our future? Whatever our answer, we’re invited to remain optimistic. One great word the Bible associates with Christmas is behold; ‘behold, thou shalt conceive’, ‘behold I bring you good tidings of great joy’ (Luke 1:31 & 2:10). Behold means to keep looking for something special to happen.
If lost in the dark, a simple beam of light can show the way forward. Jesus is our beam of light. Born 2000 years ago, each year we’re invited to Behold again the timeless Bethlehem story and deliberately pay attention to what God will say to us this Christmas.
Today Consider how you will get ready for Christmas. Pay attention to what God is saying to you this year about your life, your choices, the people you love and care for.
So our Action today is to ‘Behold’ what’s around us – neighbours, colleagues, and complete strangers you pass by – and to encourage them with hope with a smile or a practical act of kindness this advent as a reminder of the Christmas spirit who is Jesus.
Prayer: ‘Lord, help me to keep looking how I might share the light of God within a dark world each and every day, amen’.
