As With Young Eyes
In our home, the days after Thanksgiving are our D Days. While others may rise early to shop, chasing Black Friday deals around town, our D Day stands for...decorating! Much of our normal stuff is put away, and in comes all things Christmas. My role is of the Devoted Schleper-man, toting bins off garage shelves and staging them in designated rooms, then scaling ladders to string outside lights, and finally, to make myself scarce. This is Claudia's forte and I don't pretend to know where stuff should go and how it all should look, but she does.
In time, the tree went up and the lights were lit, but this time there were no ornaments on the tree. We waited on that because the next day our granddaughter was due, and she came tumbling into our house with all the energy of an almost five year old, and we waited for her to help trim the tree.
She entered the house and stood slack-jawed at the transformation. Just days before it was Thanksgiving and now the rooms had been changed by grandma magic. She ran from one thing to another with giggles and other delightful sounds most littles make. When she saw the tree she ran to it with open mouth, tried to hug it, laid under it and inspected it all around. She and grandma would spend the day placing each ornament just so, while the elder told the younger the stories behind most of them.
Grandparent nostalgia aside, I was reminded while watching this precious young heart take in the wonder of Christmas how Jesus valued simple trust and the ability to see all things as if they are miraculous. Here's an interesting vignette between Jesus and his guys late in his ministry.
About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?"
Jesus called a little child to him and set the child in the midst of them. Then he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me."
Childlikeness is much different than childishness. The former sees wonder and laughs with amazement, while the latter tantrums when demands aren't met. The first runs into life with great hope, while the second scoffs at what might be lacking. Childlike is open and routinely amazed at the next wonderful discovery. Children trust and instinctively follow. They reach for large hands to hold and look to parents for clues when the way is rough. They have yet to be hammered into harder and skeptical souls by the disappointments in life.
Each Advent as we wait and anticipate and look for Messiah, these days hold out the chance to reclaim our childlikeness when it comes to God. When Jesus says, "...unless you turn from your sins...", he might just be referencing the childish pursuit of competing to see who is the greatest. Viewing life as a scramble up a steep slope where all that matters is whether or not I'm ahead of you. But the childlike one travels with others and discovers the world together. And humble describes an attitude having nothing to prove and everything to experience.
So, if we take Jesus' words at face value when he says "...and become like little children", possibly he invites us to reclaim the best of our childlike selves. This Advent, while we await the birth of the Savior, use your senses to rekindle the child within us.
SEE the amazing world given to us to steward, like the Alpenglo on the Cascades at dawn. Pull over and take it in for a moment.
HEAR as though you never heard before carols and their lines of hope and joy and anticipation. Turn up the music.
TASTE it all, like a kid at a banquet. Explore with your mouth beauty in what is served. Experiment.
FEEL the earth. Even in the cold, connect with dirt or grass on bare feet. Hug a tree and sense its strength.
SMELL everything, good and not so good. Like a child, inhale deeply the scents of wherever you are.
And please allow me to add one more sense to be sensed.
SPEAK like a child to the Father. Pour out your heart. Climb up in his lap and talk through your day. Tell all of what your heart holds.
When the tree stood adorned and proud, with the smells of baking going on and the tubs schlepped away, our little and her grandpa sat cuddled in my chair next to the tree. I quietly said, "This has been a good day" and this sweet child said nothing, but gave it two thumbs up. Doesn't get much better.
Just think how God feels when we do the same.
All Holiday music this week. Love it or skip it, but here it is.
How about a chuckle for the road?
A spinster of 92 finally consented to go to a retirement community, but strictly on a two-week-trial basis. Consequently, she took a small overnight case with only the bare essentials.
The next day her niece was surprised to get a phone call from her demanding more clothes.
"Please bring me that good black silk, my lavender print, the brown wool..." the list went on and on.
Finally the niece asked, "What changed your mind about staying at the retirement community?"
The dear old lady responded: "There are MEN in this place!"
__________
An efficiency expert concluded his lecture with a note of caution. "You don't want to try these techniques at home."
"Why not?" asked somebody from the audience.
"I watched my wife's routine at breakfast for years," the expert explained.
"She made lots of trips between the refrigerator, stove, table, and cabinets, often carrying a single item at a time.
One day I told her, 'Hon, why don't you try carrying several things at once?'"
"Did it save time?" the guy in the audience asked.
"Actually, yes," replied the expert. "It used to take her 20 minutes to make breakfast. Now I do it in seven."