I believe!

 

I know..... this might seem contrary to my post "MY PROBLEM WITH CHRISTMAS." But, be patient!

I really don't remember the transformation of my beliefs about Santa Claus. My parents have always been devoted to faith in God, the ONE God of the Bible. Yet, they still let me believe in Santa Claus, a guy who allegedly slid down our chimney (even though we never had a chimney), delivered a gift to us on Christmas Eve (there were six kids and we each got one gift from Santa.) based on how good we were the previous year. I don't think that belief tarnished my faith in Jesus. As a matter of fact, the idea that he was a saint, a man seeking to do good throughout the entire world, fit very nicely with the faith of my childhood. My complete. understanding was Santa was also a believer in Jesus and it was the Prince of Peace that motivated him to give! The anticipation, peace, and excitement on Christmas Eve and living out the joy on Christmas Day was a great sign of the good things to come when I gave my life to Jesus at twelve years old. 

The transformation of my beliefs in Santa Claus somewhat parallel my faith walk since I was 12 years old. As I was reading the infamous FAITH CHAPTER in Hebrews 11, I can see a wonderful progression of faith from Abel through the likes of Gideon, Barak, Samson, etc. They all lived with the exact same anticipation I had on Christmas Eve. They lived a life trusting that God was going to bring bigger and better things to this world. They had faith in a God that loved them and had such great plans for them, plans that went way beyond what they could see and what they experienced in this world. I love the end of that chapter:

"All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us." (Hebrews 11:39-40)

The life of Santa Claus is amazing, especially to a kid. As a parent our responsibility is to show that the magic of Christmas is just a hint of the great things that God has planned for us. God has something even more magical and wondrous in mind for us and our future.  I love Christmas, Christmas trees, Santa Claus, presents under the tree, surprises, family, joy, peace on earth, angels, mangers, and all the other great Christmas traditions. I enjoy it even more today because I know what the birth of a tiny baby in Bethlehem means to me and my life in eternity. 

Yes, we need to know the true meaning of Christmas. Yes, we need to make sure the babe in a manger remains the focus and not the commercially generated definition of Christmas. But, the magic of Christmas through the eyes of a child can teach us a lot about the power of the Almighty God who humbled himself becoming a baby lying in a manger, who eventually would sacrifice his life for me on the cross. We live in great anticipation of greater things that are still to come, just like lying in bed on Christmas morning waiting to be allowed to get out of bed! I can't wait to see what wonders he has in store for us!

HO! HO! HO! Merry Christmas!