The Reason
This morning I went in the little girls' room to get the baby up and dressed. The 7 year-old had crawled in the crib with the baby and both were snuggled under blankets. As I changed the baby's diaper and dressed her, the 7 year-old began talking about tomorrow being Christmas and asked: "When are we getting up tomorrow to open presents? Do we have to wait for you and Daddy to get up to open presents? Do we have to wait until 8 o'clock to get up?" All I'm thinking is how tired I am from last night's party, and maybe I could get a nap in today if I get all my baking done before church tonight. She is so excited about tomorrow and opening presents and having a whole day of just family time and games and maybe a movie. This kind of excitement is so typical of someone her age, and I love watching the anticipation in my children build every Christmas. But what if we adults were that excited about Christmas? What if we were that excited about Christ? And what if we got that excited for more than just one day of the year?
I try to keep Christmas very simple with each child getting a few presents each, not committing to too many events, and reminding the children of the reason we are celebrating. But I confess that I do occasionally get caught up in all the baking and cleaning and buying gifts and decorating the house only to lose sight of Christ. Matthew 19:14 says: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Many other translations indicate that the kingdom of heaven belongs to people who are like children, or is made of people who are like children, and that is my understanding of this passage. In the rush to celebrate Christ's birth, I forget to have the anticipation and excitement of a little child.
My daughter's question, so centered on what will happen tomorrow, so centered around her little world, helped me refocus on the most important gift ever: Christ. Isn't it something how little children make innocent remarks that make us adults realign our thinking? God uses these little ones to speak His truths to me when I need it most. May I focus on those Truths today and may God continue to bless me through these precious children!
I try to keep Christmas very simple with each child getting a few presents each, not committing to too many events, and reminding the children of the reason we are celebrating. But I confess that I do occasionally get caught up in all the baking and cleaning and buying gifts and decorating the house only to lose sight of Christ. Matthew 19:14 says: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Many other translations indicate that the kingdom of heaven belongs to people who are like children, or is made of people who are like children, and that is my understanding of this passage. In the rush to celebrate Christ's birth, I forget to have the anticipation and excitement of a little child.
My daughter's question, so centered on what will happen tomorrow, so centered around her little world, helped me refocus on the most important gift ever: Christ. Isn't it something how little children make innocent remarks that make us adults realign our thinking? God uses these little ones to speak His truths to me when I need it most. May I focus on those Truths today and may God continue to bless me through these precious children!
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