The end of the Christmas Advent starts at the beginning.... Christ who gave of himself here on earth for you and for me. Becoming more Christlike is a lifelong pursuit. I have realized that it isn't about being perfect on earth today... it's about becoming perfected through the grace of my Savior day in and day out. The little things really do matter because they form who we are. Every act of obedience and service is humbly noted by our Father in Heaven and I can imagine him smiling and glad that we have chosen that path for that moment, that day, that lifetime. As a parent, I have an inkling of understanding as I set expectations, boundaries, and hopes for my children to follow. In each instance of willing compliance, I rejoice, not just for me, although it feels great, but for them because I know they are forming themselves into Christlike people.
This year for Christmas, I couldn't have been happier! Such complete joy have I rarely felt. Let me tell you what happened. First a tiny "smidgin" of a little background... Our finances have been tight... like much of the U.S. we were caught squarely in the middle of what has been called the 'Economic Crisis'. We became heavily involved in our "new" business, 2moto, almost 6 years ago, and it has been an amazing experience to own a new business in this economy. I have learned a lot more about faith and trust than I ever dreamed possible, and suffice it to say, I have complete first hand experience with the idea that the Lord provides all. That He does note the sparrow's fall. That my family matters and that in His time and in His way, He does provide. Knowing that, you must also guess, and correctly, that our kids have felt the stresses of this challenge. Gone were the days of...... you name it..... and instead, for the past few years, we have become the "Kings" of frugality. The kids have been amazingly faithful. They believe in what we are doing, and pray multiple times every day for our dad and his strength to see this business through. Well, as we work and wait and pray for that to happen, it became possible for Bill to take some contract work with HP. It's been a wonderful gift. It won't last forever, but we'll take it as long as we can. Between that and some generous family members who have taken the time to know our situation and also believe in our promptings to keep going, we have been able to feel like we are swimming again and are not just keeping from drowning. AND SO, for Christmas this year, our kids knew we were wrapping presents. They have been sooo excited... their lists started showing up a month ago, with hoped- for gifts. It was adorable and full of faith. Well, as you know, we only put up a manger full of lights under the tree all month, to remind us of that ultimate gift. On Christmas morning, the gifts under the tree are a great surprise. This year the middle 4 kids (who share a room by the way), woke up at 6 am, but they know the drill, and had brought books up to read the night before until called down stairs. The littlest 2 woke up a little before 8 and so I went down to get some things ready to eat, and left Bill to get the teenagers up. He assembled them all at the head of the stairs and drug out getting down the stairs as long as humanly possible. It was a riot to listen to and I love that happy anticipation they have every year. BUT when they got downstairs, there was a great surprise... only the manger was there under the tree. We sat them down as they looked curiously around the room and asked... "What is the most important part of Christmas? Why do we have Christmas? " and they answered... "Jesus, He's the most important. Because He chose to come to earth to redeem us." and we asked, " Why do we give gifts on Christmas?, is it because of the wise men?" "No", they said, "it's because Heavenly Father gave us his son" It was like a chorus.... not just our older kids answering, but each of the kids took a turn and reverently gave parts of these answers, almost as if they were in a performance and had practiced their parts. And then we asked, "What would you think if we told you that last night, we thought we should give our presents to another family... one that needed them more than us?" There it was... the great test... have they been sufficiently prepared with the ability to trust, to have faith, to make the Christlike choice, without murmuring? They looked around at each other for a minute... it felt like forever to me, and then without questioning, they all said, "ok! that would be ok mom. That's a great idea dad, awesome!" I was so grateful in that moment that they got it! I felt so filled with peace, that for this moment, we all knew. Christ is the reason for Christmas...and then we played a game, having to do with the service they had been giving all week for a drawn-name sibling, and we ate some food, and we gave them their stockings. They were happy and not one asked any more questions ... and in fact my little girl said... "Mom, this is the best Christmas ever!" Then we took them upstairs where we had some gifts for them. They were so surprised, and excited and curious! We told them that we had wondered how they would react to this test... and that they had done exceedingly well and that we were so proud of them all. All day long, our home was filled with peace and love and I wouldn't trade the journey it's taken to get here for anything.
I feel an urgency to prepare my children for their mortal experiences. I want them to succeed spiritually and physically. I can only imagine how my Father in Heaven must feel as he presents all of his children with opportunities to become all that they can, spiritually and physically. I continue to pray that my ability to listen to His promptings will increase and match the demands of the day.
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