“You better watch out.
You better not cry.
You better not pout.
I’m telling you why.
***
He sees you when you’re sleeping.
He knows when you’re awake.
He knows if you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness sake.”
You know the song. It’ll probably be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. You know the jolly man in the red suit to whom it refers, but do you know that there is only One for whom these lines are actually true, and in the world our children are inheriting, One is unfortunately portrayed as much a myth as the other. How much time and attention are you giving this Christmas and throughout the year to teaching the little ones in your home and life about Jesus? How are you sharing Christ this Christmas?
Toddlers parrot us. Our kids are the best mirrors. I learned this as a young mom and I’m seeing it again now with my grandchildren. If you want to see yourself through your children’s eyes, observe them when they don’t know you’re watching. Their reactions and mannerisms are largely inherited. Their physical traits and features are genetically transmitted but their actions are picked up by observation.
Do you want to be relevant in this age, influencers of culture for generations? Invest in the life of a child. Staying connected is increasingly difficult with our busy schedules and fast-paced lives. Family members don’t always live close to home, sometimes by choice but often due to extenuating circumstances. Our time and energy are invaluable resources. They are also limited resources and should he spent deliberately on that which will outlast us. Only our people last forever. Everything else can be replaced.
Many families learned this recently when Hurricane Helene ripped a hole through the mountains. My daughter and I reflected earlier on the differing degrees of damage where she lives in North Carolina compared with our home in the foothills. Water and mud wreaked havoc in the eye of the storm while devastating winds spiraled around the eye, leaving a different sort of debris in its wake.
I remember Hurricane Hugo in September of 1989. I was a college student, soon to be engaged. I still have photos of my husband helping my family clear storm debris and remove a tree that fell only inches from my car. My family lived in the midlands. Coastal areas were hardest hit as you would expect from any hurricane. Our first apartment was brand new when my husband leased it, having been rebuilt entirely following Hugo.
Clean-up from Helene is slow going. We’re two weeks into a major overhaul on our property and it seems that each time debris is removed, more damage is exposed. The trouble tree came down today. It was so dubbed because it was miraculously suspended above our neighbor’s house, held in place solely by a mishmash of fallen trees somehow woven together by the storm. I’ve spent weeks praying over that tree as we waited patiently for our team to finish a previous commitment to come to us. Planning and deliberation on three different days plus an extra lift rental resulted in some very skillful anchoring and felling of the trouble tree. It was no less imposing lying on the ground.
The father son team who took it down work in tandem like a well oiled machine. The years of expertise passed down are unmistakable, as is the pride of the father in his son. They run heavy equipment with minimal conversation across the distance but it’s apparent they are communicating, working toward a common goal. I’m reminded of a scene from one of my favorite movies, A Game of Shadows, second and final installment in a Sherlock Holmes series with Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law, that my husband and I hoped would continue.
In the closing scene, Holmes challenges his nemesis, Professor James Moriarity, to a chess match. Holmes and Dr. Watson are teamed up with a gypsy to find her brother, a radical in the employ of Moriarity, set to assassinate a government official and start a world war. Holmes appears to be defeated before he reveals his hand and though wounded, drags Moriarity to certain death. A snatch of their conversation stands out.
Holmes to Watson: “You and Sim shall find her brother. Of this I have no doubt.
You know my methods.”
Holmes to Moriarity: “We both have two bishops. I may be absent from the room but my methods are not.”
Moriarity: “You can’t mean Dr. Watson surely?”
In a world where the principalities and powers of the air are constantly pushing for war and division, we are commisioned to make disciples. When we tire of being played, of being manipulated, of being pawns in their hellish game, we fight with open eyes, properly armed for battle. Like young David against Goliath, we fight not in our own strength but from God’s. This requires first realizing that we are in a war zone. We’re inundated by moral decay. Debris from broken relationships litters our landscape. You only need to turn on the news or open your social media feed to see hurting people hurting people.
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil.
Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.”
Ephesians 6:12-13 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/eph.6.12-13.NLT
As “David said to Goliath, ‘You are coming to fight against me with a sword, a spear and a javelin. But I’m coming against you in the name of the Lord who rules over all.
He is the God of the armies of Israel. He’s the one you have dared to fight against.
This day the Lord will give me the victory over you. I’ll strike you down. I’ll cut your head off. This day I’ll feed the bodies of the Philistine army to the birds and wild animals.
Then the whole world will know there is a God in Israel.
The Lord doesn’t rescue people by using a sword or a spear. And everyone here will know it.
The battle belongs to the Lord. He will hand all of you over to us.’
So David won the fight against Goliath with a sling and a stone.
He struck down the Philistine and killed him.
He did it without even using a sword.”
1 Samuel 17:45-47, 50 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/1sa.17.45-50.NIRV
Our sword, the Word of God, is the only offensive weapon in our arsenal and it is reflected in every piece of our God-given armor. Christ guards our hearts and minds when we trust in Him alone for salvation. He covers us with His righteousness and shields us from the enemy’s attack. Jesus is truth upon whom we find firm footing, and He guards our coming and going both now and forevermore as we scatter abroad the good news that He is the one way to be reconciled to the Father.
Our children see us preparing for each each new day, getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing our teeth, interacting with our spouse, and they assimilate what we do with what we say we believe. Jesus left us an example that we should follow in His steps. Lord, let them see me following You. Forgive me when I fail. I want to walk so close to You, Jesus, that I’m constantly stepping on the hem of your garment as they’re standing on mine.
“Finally, all of you should be of one mind.
Sympathize with each other.
Love each other as brothers and sisters.
Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.
Don’t repay evil for evil.
Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you.
Instead, pay them back with a blessing.
That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.
For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.
Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.”
Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good?
But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it.
So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats.
Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life.
And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.
But do this in a gentle and respectful way.
Keep your conscience clear.
Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.
Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!
Christ suffered for our sins once for all time.
He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God.
He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.”
1 Peter 3:8-18 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1pe.3.8-18.NLT
Christmas is Christ for us, our Immanuel, God with us. At Christmas we celebrate the fulfillment of many of God’s promises, and we look forward to the ultimate fulfillment of every last one. In a world at war, division and strife will not have the final say.
““Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.””
Revelation 22:12-13 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/rev.22.12-13.NLT
“Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.
And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.
We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord… a dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:14-22 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/eph.2.14-19.NLT
Merry Christmas!
“‘May the Lord bless you and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.’”
Numbers 6:24-26 NLT
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