It’s Christmas Day!

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in
– Leonard Cohen

Walking through one of the furniture stores at the Shops on Don Mills, I was surprised to see this quote from Leonard Cohen posted on the wall. The store itself carries wood and stone pieces of furniture that are reflective of nature and the natural environment they come from. The flaws and imperfections are left as part of the charm and make the furniture what they are. It also adds to the value placed on the items.

As I often do In my downtime, I found myself reflecting on the people experiencing homelessness that we work with through our shelters, programs and services. They are a lot like the items in the store. They come to us with their flaws and imperfections. They don’t necessarily feel valued, and have lost their sense of worth.

And as people working in services for others, we can often feel the same.
Undervalued. Flawed. Imperfect.

“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”

I believe that for this very reason , the first ever Christmas took place the way it did. God sent the Word, Jesus, the Light of the world to shine in and through our lives. Because of the cracks, Jesus is able to get in and shine his light on and through us, despite our flaws and imperfections,
He came to give us life.

In John’s Gospel 1:1-5 he puts it this way. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

May you remember this promise throughout the year. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Bradley Harris -Executive Director
Toronto Housing and Homeless Supports