Better times ahead only if...
Christendom and, indeed, the entire world last Thursday observed the birth of Jesus Christ over 2,000 years ago.
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The observance marked the commencement of the one-week Yuletide, during which church services and social activities were organised by various groups.
Church services dominated the celebrations, with Christians attending prayer sessions to thank God for guiding and guarding them in the year and seeking His face for abundant blessings in the ensuing year.
Besides the church activities, both Christians and non-Christians found the time to participate in community and family events to plan activities that will promote the growth of society.
Unlike in the past when the festive occasion was used to seek blessings from God, these days businesses, communities, families and groups use the long break in official engagements to ease the stress of work.
Thus, during the days from last Thursday to yesterday, it was not only the chapels that were filled to capacity; the theatres, banquet halls, conference centres, restaurants, bars and streets were equally besieged by holiday makers looking for the opportunity to reduce the pressure associated with seeking their daily bread.
While the people had fun at the public joints, church leaders minced no words in admonishing Christians to use the Christmas period to reflect on their lives and the goings-on in society.
The essence of the engagements was to get the people to move away from activities and practices that retarded the development of society in 2014.
We are aware of the challenges confronting our society, for which reasons many people said Christmas 2014 was a ‘dry’ one.
In other words, it was difficult for them to buy the needed Christmas goodies for their children, family members and friends.
Be that as it may, the Daily Graphic calls on the people to thank the Almighty God for granting them the so-called “small mercies” that have enabled them to surmount the challenges of 2014.
We may not have all the reports, but so far it appears this year’s Christmas has been devoid of any major road accidents.
It is our prayer that all Ghanaians will ‘cross over’ to 2015 with hope that the New Year will bring good tidings to everybody.
Nonetheless, if 2014 was ‘hard’, the Daily Graphic thinks the New Year will not give us any breather, as globally, economic growth is on the decline.
However, we, as a people, can make some strides if all of us resolve to work harder in 2015, eschew all the negative practices and be one another’s keeper.
There is no magic wand or quick fixes to our challenges, if we do not return to the Ghanaian values of respect for authority, hard work, integrity, accountability and transparency in the use of public resources.
While we inch towards 2015, the Daily Graphic wishes all Ghanaians a Prosperous New Year.