English version (Pa papiamentu skrol bai mas abou)

The holiday season brings some of the most beautiful and peaceful days of the year. Everywhere you go, there’s a sense of transformation, with people radiating peace and joy. Christmas carols like "Joy to the World," shopping, and the exchange of gifts with loved ones all embody the spirit of this time.

At LWI, we believe this shared joy and peace reflect our true purpose. Just as an electric car runs smoothly when properly charged—but falters if filled with gasoline—so too do we thrive when we align with our true purpose. This is the essence of the joy we experience at Christmas.

These days of joy and peace center around the birth of a man named Jesus Christ, whose impact has profoundly changed the world in an unprecedented way. Even the way we measure time—BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini)—bears witness to His lasting influence. His teachings about love and sacrifice still resound in our communities even 2000 years after His birth, regardless of the different religious viewpoints in the world.

However, there is a tiny detail in this story that most people are not aware of. Before Jesus’ birth, Mary, His mother, was engaged to Joseph and preparing for the wedding. In Jewish tradition, the commitment of engagement signified a binding commitment, carrying the significance of marriage. But surprisingly, Mary got pregnant with Jesus before she had any sexual intercourse with Joseph. In Jewish culture, sexual intercourse was only approved of within marriage. So, knowing that he hadn’t had sexual intercourse with Mary, Joseph foresaw that significant problems lay ahead for Mary. She would be accused of cheating on Joseph and would be put to public shame. But the story tells us that Joseph didn’t want to disgrace her and planned to divorce her quietly.

By this, Joseph showed that he was a person of integrity, not because he focused on his interests but because he chose not to put someone else to public shame. He aimed to minimize Mary’s shame even when overwhelmed by his heavy disappointment.

Don’t you think this kind of integrity perfectly aligns with the Christmas spirit? Giving physical gifts is wonderful, but imagine if, in our daily lives, we focused on sparing our spouse, children, neighbors, or colleagues any shame, without expecting anything in return. That would add a deeper dimension to our acts of kindness and sharing.

Ultimately, this is what Jesus did on a larger scale. Through his birth and eventually His death on the cross (which we celebrate on Easter), He sacrificed His honor, reputation, and, finally, His life to obtain for us the one gift all of us desire but cannot get despite all our efforts.

We encourage you to add this new dimension to your giving this holiday season. Leading With Integrity wishes you and all your loved ones a fruitful Christmas and a very happy New Year 2025.

Vershon na Papiamentu:

Fin di aña ta trese e dianan di mas bunita i pasífiko di aña kuné. Unda ku bo bai tin manera un sentido di transformashon, ku hendenan radiando pas i goso. Kantikanan di Pasku manera “Joy to the World”, hasimentu di kompra i interkambio di regalo ku bo sernan stimá, ta forma parti di e spiritu dje tempu aki.

Nos di LWI ta kere ku e goso i pas ku nos ta kompartí aki ta reflehá nos propósito real. Meskos ku un outo eléktriko ta kore bon-bon ora bo karg'é - pero lo keda sin kore si bo yen'é ku gasoline - asina nos tambe lo progresá ora nos ta riba mésun liña ku nos propósito real. Esaki ta esensia di e goso ku nos ta eksperensiá ku Pasku.

E dianan aki di goso i pas ta drai rònt di nasementu di un hòmber ku yama HesuKristu kende Su impakto a kambia mundu na un manera sin presedente. Asta e manera ku nos ta midi tempu - tantu aña promé ku Kristu òf despues di Kristu - ta testigu di su influensia permanente. Su siñansa tokante stimashon i sakrifisio ta resoná ketu bai den nos sosiedatnan asta despues di 2000 aña di su nasementu, irespekto e diferente puntonan di bista religioso ku tin den mundu.

Sinemargo tin un detaye chikí den e storia aki ku mayoria hende no ta konsiente di dje. Promé ku Hesus a nase, su mama Maria tabata komprometí ku Hose i prepará pa kasa. Den tradishon Hudiu, un kompromiso pa kasa tabata un kompromiso obligatorio ku ta karga mésun peso ku matrimonio. Pero sorpresivamente Maria a sali na estado di Hesus promé ku el a tene relashon seksual ku Hose. Den kultura Hudiu, relashon seksual tabata wòrdu aprobá solamente den matrimonio. Pues, sabiendo ku e no a tene relashon seksual ku Maria, Hose a premirá ku Maria ta bai hañ’é den masha problema. Lo e wòrdu akusá di a kòrta Hose su orea i lo wòrdu poné na bèrgwensa públikamente. Pero e storia ta bisa ku Hose no kier a pon’é na bèrgwensa i a plania pa divorsiá di dje den sekreto.

Ku esaki, Hose a mustra ku e ta un hende íntegro, no pasobra el a wak su interes ma pasobra el a skohe pa no pone un otro hende na bèrgwensa. Su meta tabata pa minimalisá bèrgwensa di Maria aunke e mes tabata bou’i karga di un desapunto pisá.

Bo n’ ta kere ku e integridat aki ta pas perfektamente den e spiritu di Pasku? Dunamentu di regalonan físiko ta ekselente pero imaginá bo si den bida diario, nos empeñá pa spar nos kasá, yunan, bisiña òf kolega kualke bèrgwensa sin ferwagt nada a kambio. Esei lo agregá un dimenshon mas profundo na nos aktonan di kariño i kompartí.

Finalmente, ta esaki ta loke Hesus a hasi riba un eskala mas grandi. Dor di Su nasementu i finalmente Su morto na e krus (loke nos ta selebrá na Pasku di resurekshon), El a sakrifiká su honor, reputashon i finalmente su bida pa optené pa nos esun regalo ku nos tur ta deseá pero no por haña irespekto tur nos esfuersonan.

Nos ta enkurashá bo pa agregá e dimenshon nobo aki na bo dunamentu den e dianan di fiesta aki. Leading With Integrity ta deseá abo i bo sernan kerí un Pasku fruktífero i un felis aña nobo 2025.