Christmas Morning Joy

Remember Christmas morning as a child? I certainly do. It was almost magical. My mom always woke up early to prepare our Christmas breakfast tradition: her amazing cinnamon rolls, and I would hear the noise and wake up. In our family, we weren't allowed to immediately start opening gifts once we woke up. Instead, we had to wait. And wait. And wait. I would look at the mountain of gifts under the tree, then at the bulging stockings.  I would smell the incredible aroma of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven. And then continue to wait. Finally, the oven would ding, and Mom would take out the cinnamon rolls. And guess what? We would wait just a little longer for them to cool. Finally, Mom would put a candle in one of the rolls, and we would sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. We kids would finish the cinnamon rolls long before the adults, then hurry in to the living room to wait for those slow-pokes to hurry up and finish so we could open gifts. Finally, over an hour after waking up, it was time. We finally got to unwrap all those mysteries under the tree.

What if this was the kind of joy and anticipation of life we as Christians felt all the time? What if we waited as eagerly for the kingdom of God as we did as children waiting for time to open gifts on Christmas morning?

In Luke 18:16-17, Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

Harsh words, but let's face it. As adults, we tend to get a little overconfident of ourselves, of our knowledge and wisdom and capabilities. But children are a little unsure of themselves, yet eager to explore and learn everything there is to learn. They are also trusting of the adults in their lives. To God, all of us, even those in their eighties and nineties, are mere children. Let us act then, not immaturely, but eagerly and with childlike faith. Let us find excitement in seeking out God and His Kingdom, as children eagerly waiting to tear into their Christmas gifts.