"...God, please send someone to love me." This is the line from the play that always tugs at my heart. It seems so easy for a child to know their need and ask for help and comfort. But for us adults often we feel the need - yet our ability to ask for answers is tangled in a complex maze of emotion, disappointment, and pride.
My father left our family at Christmas. I was an adult at the time with children of my own, but it was still very painful. One night in our bedroom, I begged God to just take away the pain - not let me feel anything! For awhile, I believe He did just that...and then I realized I wasn't feeling the incredible sadness, but I also wasn't feeling the happy things. Today we try so hard to protect our children from the negative, but sometimes sad is important...Every Christmas since (and it has been 20 years) there are waves of emotion that stir up the sad. Now I don't ask Him to take away the pain, just stay close and walk through it with me.
Our young son once brought home a Christmas paper from Kindergarden. He had drawn a picture and written underneath, I KNOW THAT LOVE IS A GIFT. It sticks in my mind as a reminder - If a 5-year old can realize that love is a gift, why can't I realize that what is done for me, given to me, provided for me in love, is a gift. Christmas is about God's gift of love - someone to love us - Jesus Christ.
I am eagerly finishing up the wrapping and baking. I am eagerly awaiting each grandchild (and our big kids, too) opening the "perfect" gift we have chosen. I am savoring the time ALL our family will be together - and I just found out some dogs will be included in the mix!!!
May your Christmas be wonderful - may your children understand love is a gift - may you experience the gift of someone to love you - JESUS CHRIST.
Sherry Bitler
Children's Ministry Director
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1 comment:
Sherry,
Your post really spoke to my heart. It brought to mind Psalm 68:4-6:
Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds, and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing.
The one who "rides on the clouds" is none other than the son of man, who is Jesus Christ, the second person of the Godhead. It is amazing that King David wrote this Psalm some 1000 years before Jesus was even born.
Sherry, as the founder of our Academy, you have truly been there for so many children. It is so cool to walk through the halls of the church everyday and see so many children, from so many different walks of life, being loved while being given such a solid education.
I came across this youtube video--and it has really spoken to my heart--that Christ is truly a father to the fatherless. A great song with an encouraging message.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=C4anyzSLX9U&feature=related
Chuck L.
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