A common saying goes thus “Life is not a bed of roses” and an observation to this has made some to say that ‘even roses have thorns (prickles)’. The thorns are not sources of pains or difficulties to the plant but of protection against animals and a support for the plant to cling to support available to it.

Such are the realities in our lives as human beings, with difficulties as thorns on our paths. Sometimes, they are short-lived and at other times they are part of people’s lives for the whole of earthly existence. Like the rose plant, the thorns help to shape out individual’s effort and struggle for greatness. The truth of this is found in a Yoruba adage which holds that “Tita riro l’a n ko’la, t’o ba jinna tan a d’ewa fun ni”.

The coming of Jesus was not without pains for some persons in the Bible. Joseph and Mary had their cut of it. Joseph’s acceptance of Mary as his wife and baby Jesus was not without pains. Humanly speaking it was not the time that Mary planned to have a child but they both had to agree to the plan of God for them. This, in the end and in all ages, brings eternal joy to both of them. We too have to accept the thorns in our flesh. In most cases, even though sometimes inexplicable, they lead us to fulfilment and progress, equipping us with wealth of experience and wisdom.

J.F. Odunjo in his poem titled “Iṣe Loogun Ise” says that “Ohun ti a ko ba j’iya fun ki i pe l’owo, ohun ti a ba f’ara sise fun ni pe l’owo eni”, it means that ‘we derive lasting joy from what we struggled to achieve’. As we approach the day of the celebration of our saviour’s birth, we are reminded that the joy of this birth did not get into the world without the embrace of pains by some persons.  Even Jesus had to choose not to come as God but as man, not to be born in a palace but in the manger. For peace to reign in the world, in the Church, or home, schools, market places, playgrounds and other places, some of us will have to sacrifice our pleasure either willingly or indirectly and sometimes more than we can imagine.

May the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ renew the heart of each one of us through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.