Little Eyes Alert: Unless you want me to spoil your child’s notion of classic Christmas characters, this is for grown-up eyes only.
Now that we have the bases covered, let’s talk about letters. Christmas is an important time for letters: Christmas letters or cards to family and friends (but don’t wait around for mine…they’re not coming this year), letters written to Santa and left beside a plate of cookies and milk, and in our house even letters to Zoe the Elf on the Shelf, written on the bathroom mirror in dry-erase marker. And in the magic of the Christmas spirit, Santa and Zoe always wrote back.
It was fun for me and magical for my kids, adding to the wide-eyed wonder of the season and the belief in someone we cannot actually see, yet apparently sees us every moment of every day. It’s easy for our kids to believe and and even trust in Santa Claus and the Elf on the Shelf when we, as parents, coordinate the correspondence. Let’s face it…my kids now know that I am Santa Claus and I am Zoe. And one day, if not already, your kids will know the truth as well. It’s easy for us to create the magic of Christmas, but how do we contribute to our kids’ belief and trust in the One they cannot see but who really does see them every moment of every day?
This past Sunday, Pastor Paul shared the message “Jesus’ Coming and God’s Letters to His People.” Most importantly, Pastor Paul shared that God sent Jesus as his personal letter to the world. But he also shared that we, too, can become a letter of God as we share the hope, joy, love and peace of God with others. As parents, the first recipients of that should be our children, but in my experience, it often feels easier to play the role of Santa Claus than to be a messenger of God. What if I get it wrong? What if I don’t know the words to say? My response: don’t overthink it. Just do it.
The beautiful thing about Jesus, what made his message so effective, was not actually in his words but in his life. Sure, Jesus spoke the words. He said such words as “Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you” (Matthew 5:42) and then HE DID IT time and again as people came to him pleading for healing. He said such words as “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44) and then HE DID IT as he called to God from the cross asking forgiveness for those who crucified him. And he said such words as “It is not those who are well who need a doctor but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12-13) and then HE DID IT as he invited himself to dine with those others hated and he reached out to touch those whom no one else would touch.
Even if we didn’t have the words of Jesus but only the example of how he lived his life, we would still see the values of God lived out in the flesh. You, too, are the example of God’s values for your children; no words are necessary. I encourage you today to ask yourself the same questions I ask myself:
- How does my life demonstrate hope in Jesus to my children? How do they see me respond in my own times of frustration or depression? How do they see me sharing that with others?
- How does my life demonstrate joy available only through Jesus to my children? Not happiness, mind you, but the pure joy of knowing who I am and whose I am. How do they see me responding in joy even when we can’t gather in person for Christmas Eve service?
- How does my life demonstrate the love of God given to us through his son Jesus? How do I love my children in a way that is the overflow of God’s love for me? How do they see me show love even in moments of disappointment?
- How does my life demonstrate the peace in difficult times that comes only from a relationship with God through his son Jesus? How do they see me respond to instances of injustice?
- How does my relationship with my kids AND my relationships with others model Jesus’ mission to love the unlovable and to touch the untouchable? How do they see me respond to the homeless beggar on the corner or the addict who relapsed again?
Our kids watch us, they read our every action and, yes, they hear our words, too. May we live with the intention of being God’s love letter to our children, creating an atmosphere in our homes of all that Jesus was born to bring – hope, joy, love, and peace – both in our own lives and the lives of others.
I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Have you ever considered yourself a ‘letter from God’ to your kids? What do you find most challenging about that?