I don’t remember where I
found this devotional but it certainly worthy of sharing. Enjoy the day with your family warm in your
homes. Van
Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful
experience. I had cut back on
nonessential obligations - extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating,
and even overspending. Yet still, I
found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and
of course, the true meaning of Christmas.
My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an
exciting season for a six year old. For
weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant."
I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night
of the production. Unwilling to miss his
shining moment, I spoke with his teacher.
She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the
presentation. All parents unable to
attend that evening were welcome to come then.
Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.
So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten
minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the
room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I
waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their
teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to
perform their song.
Because the public school system had long stopped referring
to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than
fun, commercial entertainment - songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and
good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I
was slightly taken aback by its bold title.
Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned
in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row- center stage - held
up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song.
As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a
child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and
on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message,
"Christmas Love."
The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we
noticed her; a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter
"M" upside down - totally unaware her letter "M" appeared
as a "W".
The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this
little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she
stood tall, proudly holding her "W".
Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the
laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it
together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen.
In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why
we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was
a purpose for our festivities.
For when the last letter was held high, the message read
loud and clear:
"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"
And, I believe, He still is.
Scripture to Claim:
"For God so loved the world, that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have
eternal life. John 3:16
