Something happens to kids during the Christmas season, and although I’ve been taking it all in stride with jolly remembrances of my own childhood in mind, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have moments of red-hot frustration.
Little kids, and heck, big kids too, get super excited for Christmas time. There’s a big tree in the living room with tons of sparkly baubles to move around. There’s cookies, and music, and so many parties. With presents! So many presents.
I’m the biggest kid of them all this time of year, and I get excited too, but nothing compared to my girls. They get wild, and perhaps the extra sugar is to blame, but regardless of the specific cause they are like tiny, chattering tornados. They’re quick to get into mischief, and slow to listen.
What better way to keep kiddos in line than to pull out the old Santa card. After all, he sees you when you’re sleeping, and he knows when you’re awake. He even knows if you’ve been bad or good, and now his buddy the Elf on the Shelf helps ensure you’re good for goodness sake.
It’s perfect, and parents will tell you they readily use the “you better be good if you want presents” line to keep hyper children from killing them slowly with their ill-enacted excitement. I certainly do, but today I realized I’ve been doing it all wrong.
It came to me as my young daughters argued over a toy, and their screeching voices carried into the other room. It was their billionth fight of the day, and tense after only being able to handle so much crying in a given day I called out, “If I were you I’d be good. I’d be worried I wouldn’t get any presents for being so bad!”
Beautiful silence answered from the other room, but then I felt God speak to my heart. “Is that how it is Brie?” He asked softly.
I pondered to myself, do I even deserve this gift of Christmas? I certainly haven’t earned my salvation.
While I love the excitement of Santa Clause, and the magic he brings with his sackful of presents, I wonder if I’ve missed the mark in properly presenting the true spirit of Christmas.
You see, some 2000 years ago a child was born of a virgin, and He would be a gift for all mankind. When He died on the cross as a man He did so to save me. Me, a sinner. His gift did not come with conditions, and no matter how “bad” I may be He still would have died for me. Conversely, no matter how “good” I am this is not what earns me the present of eternal life with Him. He gives it because He loves me, and I accept it humbly.
I found myself sitting down with my daughters and trying to explain a few facts I had missed. As the eldest listened wide-eyed I explained my love for her, my unconditional love. I told her of Jesus and the gift of His life given despite our “bad” behavior.
I explained that even if she wasn’t always her best that Christmas presents would still come to a grateful heart eager to receive. “We give out of love because that’s how Jesus taught us to give. I don’t want you to be good because you want something. You are good because you love me. But presents will come either way.”
Perhaps she will remember my words, or perhaps she was distracted by Rudolph on the TV. But either way I decided that from now on she deserved to be taught how Jesus works, not the world.
We’ll still do Santa, but our Saint Nick will have the character of Christ rather than a man with a list marking off his children based on their deeds.
Ephesians 2:8-9 New International Version (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.