For When We Need to Keep Pressing On

We celebrated a day early this year, as it was my turn to work on Christmas day. After all, babies come when they want to, whether it’s Christmas or not, and sure enough they did. We welcomed three new babies into this world on Sunday, and as I dried one of them off, weighed him, and placed his naked-smooth-skinned body skin-to-skin on his mama’s chest, he was a visual reminder to me of the form in which our Lord came … as a newborn baby, tiny and dependent, filled with potential and hope.

And it is that hope that I wanted the kids to grasp this year. I had tried to be more intentional as we prepared and tried to established a purposeful advent celebration. We did practical projects to become the blessing, writing Christmas letters to our Compassion International Children and sending Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes full of love. And by doing so, we practiced giving ourselves in tangible ways.

We read scripture daily, looked at pictures, and they asked lots of questions as we discussed all the details of the Christmas story. And during all the discussion we made Truth in the Tinsel ornaments and hung them on the garland of our banisters, so we could remember all we were learning. And the hope was we would be reminded every time we walked by. And in the midst of it all, we talked about giving thanks to God for all He has done for us–for how He loves us so much, and for sending us His Son, our greatest gift of all.

And while our season was more hectic than I would have liked, I really thought we were making progress. I thought the concepts were taking hold in their hearts … until it was time to open gifts on Christmas eve. {sigh}

And while much of it stuck, some of their actions proved otherwise, as the raw and ugly truth was exposed right there in front of everyone.

Instead of attitudes of thankfulness and postures of grace, they seemed to have easily forgotten that this season was about Jesus and that our gifts to one another were secondary.

There was complaining about the gifts…

the new bike seat was too high ,

and the bike didn’t have a bell.

And then there was whining…

about whose turn it was,

and how they didn’t need help from one another to rip open the paper.

And materialism and selfishness seemed to show up way too easily–almost seeming to overtake and control them–I suppose like how at times it overtakes and controls us all. And while not all was lost, the behavior I observed right before my very eyes made me very aware of how far we still have to go.

Maybe I’m unrealistic to expect that their hearts would more often give thanks than complain, and that they would more often give grace, than fight for their selfish ways. After all, I’m 40 and still fighting this. And while as a mother, I feel a bit defeated, I won’t deny, I know that I would be a hypocrite to yield to complaining about it.

So as I’m tempted to feel defeated, like I failed in our advent season, I will pick up from here and continue on, teaching them and training them, and most importantly modeling to them. Modeling a heart of gratitude and grace. Yielding to His work on my heart. Practicing dying to self daily, because that is what He has called me to do, and I have more than enough chances to practice.

Because after all, what I do is so much more important than what I say. And they are watching more closely than I know.

And so, in whatever, post-Christmas state you find yourself today, may you know the grace He offers you, and may you too, pick right back up where you are, pressing on toward Him, is my prayer!

What can you give thanks for today?

Continuing on, in the counting of One Thousand Gifts {#1149-1165}with Ann and this community…

#1149  A lovely tree and lights to enjoy

 

 

#1150  A lovely daughter growing

 

 

#1151    Truth in Tinsel  and the joy it was every day

 

 

#1152  Breakfast Strata…

 

 

#1153  Sibling love

 

 

 

#1154 Music and dancing at our 1st Annual Watkins’ Christmas Eve show! A giving of our own gifts and talents from Him, to Him!

 

 

#1155 The joy of gifts, and pigtails, and dolls

 

 

#1156  The delight of laughter…so much laughter

 

 

#1157 Mustaches on a 5-year-old son

 

 

#1158  Delicious lunch together with Panini lunch sandwiches

 

 

#1159 The blessed wishes from friends–cards sent with love from their home to ours, hanging for us to remember

 

 

#1160 A week long visit with my parents

 

#1161 Beautiful sunshine and the warmth of the sun

 

#1162 A new REAL drive-thru Starbucks one mile away (I’m SOO Happy about that!!)

 

#1163 Reflecting on all He has given and continues to give

 

#1164 Daily grace and mercy I so need

 

#1165 His joy that is my strength as I pick up and go on

Related posts:

Hello Mornings…A New Challenge Seeing the Gifts For When You Need to Quit Performing to Earn God’s Love and Blessing :: Sermon on the Mount {Week 2}