Startled and groggy with a little bit of drool - I woke to a mild shaking as our two oldest children invaded our bedroom proclaiming "It's Christmas! There's presents! Get Up!" Not ready to give in to their demands, I gave them instruction to go ahead and open their stockings. This once-a-year parenting hack is proven to buy us at least 10 more minutes of lying in bed. I'd never seen them listen so well, as they raced out of the bedroom. Because they are great siblings they went and woke their younger brother as well. I soon heard 3 pairs of feet scamper into the living room, followed by shrieks of joy and giggles of excitement. As they opened their stockings and I lay in bed listening to them, I couldn't help but smile at their happiness. Shortly after this took place I came to realize the faulty part of my plan. The 3 pairs of feet headed back into our bedroom. My great sleep plan forgot to take in account that the overweight, jolly, bearded fellow placed a small high-powered flashlight in each of their stockings. As my children returned and lit up the darkness of our bedroom, my oldest says: "Check these out Dad, now we really can be a light!"
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:4-5
Be a Light. This may not sound profound, but I noticed it right way coming from my 8-year old. As a parent you don't always feel like your kids hear anything you say. But when they do, you notice quickly. This is something we try to pray for daily. As a family we are far from perfect, but each day before school we ask that Jesus helps us to "be a lightbulb". Somedays our batteries are weak and need charged. Somedays the wax in our candle needs drained away from the wick. Somedays our lens is a little dirty. In all reality we have those problems because we aren't the light. In John 1 it says that John (the Baptist) was "not the light, he came only as a witness to the light." (v8) Thankfully - we don't have to be THE light. If we continue reading on in verse 9 - "The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world." The light was coming! The Messiah was coming! Ever since Adam's sin - ever since your sin and my sin - we have been bound for darkness and death. Darkness cannot exist where there is light, and where there is light there is life. The true light of the world, was born to a virgin Mary in Bethlehem. This is what we truly celebrate today and this entire Christmas season! I pray each of our lives reflect the true light into the darkness around us - just like a 8, 5, and 2 year old with a flashlight in a dark bedroom.... If we went at it with that much zeal, the world around us would have alot more life in it.
Merry Christmas to all our family and friends! Happy Birthday Jesus!
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