But on the last night Elfie would be with us until next year, he sent our child a pack of chicklets gum. And that night, as I prepared to put good old Elfie away, I noticed our son had placed two sticks of gum in Elfie's arms as a present for Elfie to take home. I got my daughter to take a picture of it as a tiny reminder of the wonder of Christmas and why the effort is worth it. I know that this is probably Elfie's last Christmas with a little one in our home who still believes that Santa is coming and that elves can come visit. That time is coming to a close, but, boy, it's been fun having young children in the home at Christmas. Even now, I think he believes because he wants to believe even while knowing it's not about jolly old Saint Nick or elves or presents. It's about the Savior coming, for in the words of Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of John 1, Jesus "came and moved into the neighborhood."
May we never ever get over the wonder of that. A Sovereign, Almighty God moved into our neighborhood out of His infinite love for us. He came and made His home with us. Isn't that one of the things we all love about Christmas--being home for Christmas? One of the most popular Christmas songs of all time is "I'll be Home for Christmas." And as our children grow up, we realize that the time is coming all too soon when they will not all be home for Christmas. They may be in far away places and can't come home or be married and have to go visit the in-laws (a concept I don't like even with no in-laws in the picture yet since I always want my children with us!)
But even the realization that they will not always be "home" with us makes the time with them that more precious. Ever notice how many of our favorite Christmas carols are sung in a minor key? O come O come Emmanuel, Lo how a Rose ere Blooming, etc. are all in minor keys. Why is that, I wonder, since Christmas is such an unbelievably joyous celebration? Perhaps, it's the reminder to us all that this is not our home. Christ came and made this His home so that one day we could go to our true Home with Him.
I couldn't help but think of one of my favorite songs "Blessings" by Laura Story. The words of the chorus are profound:
What if your blessings come through raindrops
What if your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
And what if the trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise....
Then near the end of the song, she adds:
What if the greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
And what if the trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise.
Isn't it so true? We so often ultimately see God's glory, His grace, His love as never before in our times of waiting, our times of disappointment, even our times of sorrow. Our children grow up and we treasure each moment with them far more now, because we know those moments will not last forever. My next door neighbor told me the other day that their 3 grown children had all been home for Christmas for 5 days. He said he had told his wife, "I don't think I've ever seen you happier." Because it happens rarely now, these parents truly knew the joy of having all their children home for Christmas.
Our home was wild and busy this Christmas. Lots of laundry, lots of mess, lots of cooking and cleaning, but I knew deep in my heart that it would not always be so. Someday Elfie would stay in the box. Someday I wouldn't have to stay up until all hours on Christmas Eve and get up at the crack of dawn on Christmas Day. Someday I wouldn't have to clean up the kitchen 14 times a day. Someday the floor would stay clean and the counters uncluttered. And then I would remember these crazy Christmases with longing but also with gratitude and joy. And with the wonder of the privilege of celebrating the birth of my Savior with this imperfect, untidy, but beautiful blessing of a family.
Somehow, it awakes in me a longing and a gratitude for my true Home. For this is not my home. This is not your home. And the joy and wonder of Christmas reminds us every year that our Savior made it His home so we could make our home with Him forever. So thank You Lord Jesus for Christmas. Thank You for coming. Thank You that one day You will take us Home. But until then, thank You for the gift of celebrating Your coming with the friends and family we love so imperfectly but so dearly. To You, our True Home, be all the glory.
No comments:
Post a Comment