Christ, our King

When I was five years old, I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. I feel so blessed to be one that made the connection from head to heart at an early age. Even though my Dad was the one to actually lead me in a prayer of salvation and answer many of my questions, my Mom was the one that made sure we were at church every single time the doors were open. I was in every Christmas production, children's musical and "stage" event happening! I guess my Mom kind of pushed me in the world of performance! :) Looking back, that makes me smile because I know she found so much delight in hearing my five year old little voice sing and twirl on stage. Thanks Mom! Oh my, maybe you were a stage Mom! Perish the thought! Then there was Sunday School, Primrose/Daisy/Missionettes camp, Wednesday nights and Vacation Bible School! She made sure I was at ALL of it!

This time of year always gets me excited about my kids and the things God has called them to do in this world. I remember being pregnant with each one of them and laying my hands on my belly and praying for God to give them purpose and a specific calling in life. I think Christmas brings it all together for me because I tend to think of Mary holding baby Jesus. I think sometimes we forget the bond between Mary and her son, Jesus. When she held him in her arms, when she nursed him, she felt the very same things we all feel with our babies. It's no coincidence that my babies were all born around Christmas. After all, Ava Beth came home on Christmas Eve. :) People always have dumb things to say about my kids having birthdays at Christmas and I look forward to hearing the kids as they get older say, "We love our birthday being at Christmas. It's my Mom's favorite time of year. Mom makes it so special."

Lately I've been excited about reading more of the Bible to them and excited about sharing with them the story of Christmas and what it truly means. This is the year, Josiah is beginning to understand what Christmas is about. Josiah will be five years old in a couple of months and that is the age when I accepted Christ. And even though I did not understand all the benefits of being a follower, the Holy Spirit allowed me to understand what sin meant and I knew the importance of seeking forgiveness for sin. And I believed that God loved me and sent his son to die for my sins. A child is often much easier to reach than an adult. Faith is so simple when we don't analyze or question. (Mark 10:14 When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” 16 Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.)

I will never forget something my Dad told me the day I prayed my prayer with him. "Mandi, it only takes faith the size of a mustard seed." (Matthew 17:19-20, Luke 17:5-6) I was not sure what a mustard looked like so I asked my Dad and then he used his hands to show me how tiny a mustard seed was. I remember it was a week full of questions. Every single time I got off the AM Kindergarten bus (when Kindergarten was only a half a day), I had a list of questions in my head about Jesus, creation and how he lived in my heart. From that point on, I always had this internal compass that was very sensitive to the Holy Spirit. I remember going to my Mom and confessing to her when I called her a name in my diary or if I did something I was not supposed to do, I confessed. My Mom will tell you, I mouthed off a lot, but I always confessed to lying and confessed to doing stuff I was not supposed to do. Some would say that's messed up and sounds harsh for a child to live that way. But I believe God had his hand on me and made me very sensitive to his voice early on. I'm grateful for that and I guess in a way, I feel like bragging about it because my life as a child was filled with so much pain that if it were not for Jesus, I don't know if I would be here. He gave me hope, so much hope!

All of that to say this. Right now is a perfect opportunity to share Jesus with our kids. This year I am going to take every opportunity I can to share what Christmas really is all about. This is the year I am starting the Happy Birthday Jesus cake with the kids and this is the year I got them their very own Little People Deluxe Nativity Scene! I can't wait for it to arrive!! We will still sing Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer but currently we are singing a lot of Silent Night and Away in a Manger. We will still go see Santa Clause and put out reindeer food in the yard and leave cookies and milk out for Santa/Daddy :), but I pray that this year I can help them along in their faith a little quicker and pray that they accept Christ at an early age. Life is hard and we are all in need of a Savior.

We all know I am a Christmas fanatic and many of you think I am pretty crazy for it! :) But, I pray that this year I can be careful not to get caught up in the craziness and center every single bit of it on Jesus. For HE is the reason for the season! Amen!

So as you sing O Little Town of Bethlehem, think about another Mommy we are all familiar with, Mary. She had the joy of carrying in her womb, the Son of God, the KING and we have the honor and privilege of telling our babies all about him.