From the Nativity to the New Year!

A few years ago for two consecutive Christmas' my parents got me the Willow Tree nativity set. While it's been set out every year, this is our first Christmas in a house, and I love how it's been able to be properly displayed. It's big and it's on our front table so I get to walk by it all the time and look at the remarkable scene. My daughter, however has a problem with it. Not just it, she has a problem with any nativity that doesn't have a manger. In our nativity Mary is holding baby Jesus. My daughter says things like, "Don't they know the Bible says Jesus was laid in a manger?" and "Well, where's the manger? They really need to get a manger." While I love her zeal for Biblical accuracy, I have to admit I like it.

I love seeing Mary hold baby Jesus. There's something about the Savior of world in his mommy's arms that personalizes the Christmas story for me. They were real. She was a real woman who really had a baby. After having three kids I can't imagine having one in a stable with a man I hardly knew. I have to think in the middle of night when Mary was exhausted she rolled over and looked at the peacefully sleeping Joseph and said, "Yo, Joe! You want to walk the kid for a few minutes for me?" They were real people living in an extraordinary time, witnessing first-hand the stories we hear today.

I've always loved Christmas, but after hearing the same story year after year after year, it's easy to become numb to its meaning. This year I've been struck with this truth: Christmas was not merely Jesus coming as a baby, but it was God coming to Man. In that moment God became present and available to people in way that He had never been before. No more sacrifices or burning bushes. All that's needed to meet with God is to open my mouth and talk, to open my Bible and read.

I've been pondering this thought. With Christmas over, and New Year's around the corner, I'm trying to be proactive with this truth. The God of the universe is available to me. I can talk to Him, confide in Him, cry with Him, and rejoice in Him. He loves me! How can this truth influence my everyday life? I'm not really big into New Year's resolutions, but I think I'm going to make a list of goals for the next year for our family that try to reflect the every-present God in our lives.

I'm so thankful for the picture of Christmas, but I'm so much more thankful for what it means for my life.

Can The Bullets Stop?

Gun shots. Screams. Horror. Pain. Broken hearts. Heroes.

I've had a few days to take it all in. Of course I could never imagine kissing my child goodbye, dropping them off at school only for them to be gunned down and killed. As a parent, I know one main responsibility I feel to physically protect my children. How could you cope? How could you move? How could you breath? I ache for these families, and I pray the peace of God that transcends all understanding will be given to them, and that from this tragedy God will be glorified.

Meanwhile, society is stuck on three questions. How? Why? And, How can it be prevented from happening again? Everyone seems to have the answers. ABC news took two hot seconds before saying the infamous words "Gun Control".
More gun legislation.
Better mental health screening.
Metal detectors and armed cops at the doors of every school.
Let the teachers themselves be armed.
So many thoughts and suggestions get thrown out, and we as believes let and even engage ourselves in these conversations. I think we do this because we want it to be true. We want to believe that WE can fix this "problem". We want to believe one law can be passed and we will never have to witness this again. Oh how I myself wish that were true. (On the flip side, I do firmly believe giving up our civil liberties to the government will be far more dangerous to our children then the amount of guns on the streets. Taking away guns is only a hop, skip,and jump away from taking away our right to gather and worship.)The fact is hurt and anguish have been around as long as man, and with it comes a deep deep need to know the Savior. Why are we so afraid to offer this savior to a hurting world? Why am I so afraid?

In a society where violence and anger are everywhere, our government is bending over backwards to take morality out. This is not a gun issue, or video game issue, or school safety issue, this is a HEART issue. Yes, there are some things that we can and should do to practically help, but these are not a fix. It's like the "Chicago Band-aid". We lived in the city of Chicago for six years. One of the plagues of the city were giant pot holes that popped up every year. It seemed overnight one could quadruple in size. There were so many, the city couldn't fix them all fast enough. If a pot-hole got so big it could cause damage to cars, the city would bring a huge piece of steel and place it over the hole until it could be properly repaired. It was just a band-aid covering a problem not fixing it. All the laws that could be passed are just band-aids covering a huge gaping hole. This hole exists in the hearts of people. It's time to take a stand. It's time to get the cement truck and fill in the holes with a permanent solution. (Little break down in illustration because the pot-holes come back every year, but work with me.)

This battle will most likely not be won on the front lines in Washington (though we should still keep fighting.) But, I can win this battle in my home. You can win this battle in your home. I can choose to teach my children to love other people fiercely with the love of Jesus while still standing for what they believe in. I can teach them that while prayer may not be aloud in schools that doesn't mean they can't pray, and while the ten commandments are not where to be found that doesn't mean we don't follow them. I can teach my children that being tolerant is not always the answer. As my husband said last night: "Being tolerant of everything, means your convicted about nothing." How do I teach? I teach by example. They need to see this in me before they ever will adopt it as their own.

No, one law wont fix anything, but if I can mold these three little hearts in front of me, that's a start. Change starts with ME. Change starts with YOU. How about we start right now?

A Glass House

My four year old says the funniest things ever! Not only does she SAY things that leave me dumbfounded, but it's the WAY she says them. When you add in her body language, tone, and facial expressions, you would truly think your talking to 40 year old! Many people have said things like, "You should have cameras hidden in your home and make some money off of her!" I always laugh and say, "Yeah. I know." However, secretly I'm thinking, "I'm soooo glad there are NOT cameras in my home!" 

There are so many moments I'm not proud of. This morning was one of them. Today (like most days around here) we didn't have anything planned. I announced I was taking a shower and the younger two come running to me patting their own chests indicating they wanted to get int he bath tub. Sometimes I stick them in the big tub in my bathroom while I shower. They love to play, I get them clean, and it frees up more daddy time in the evening. With nothing on the calendar, I agree. They start jumping up and down and run upstairs, tear their clothes off, and jump in. Everything was going well until for some reason we ran out of hot water. By the time I quickly finished myself up, the baby and my four year old were shivering and complaining. (My son didn't care at all....just like a boy!) I wrapped them up in towels and went to get warm clothes. Did the whining and complaining stop?.....NOPE! My daughter went on and on and on about how cold she was, how sticky she was, how wet her hair was......I. Got. Huffy. I started rambling off all the reasons why we need to have good hygiene, and all the reasons I could think off that she needed to be thankful that she had running water at all even if it wasn't hot. Sometime after going into detail about kids in Africa (Yep. I know I lost her!) I stopped long enough to realize I had gone overboard. A few seconds later as I threw my make-up on (an accurate description on how it's applied), ashamed I said to myself, "Sure glad no one saw that!" I then stopped and starred at myself in the mirror as I pictured God saying, "Hello? Maggie? Did you forget? I saw."

He does. He sees all. Every impatient word snapped, every huffy tone, every eye roll, every "What were you thinking" look, every stupid disagreement with my husband. He sees. He knows when my heart isn't right even when my actions are. He knows how much of a sinner I truly am. It's as if I live in a glass house. And yet, He loves me anyway. Mind Blown! In those moments I don't even love myself....He does! That's all it took for me to go hunt down my daughter get down on her level and apologize for my impatience and ask for forgiveness. A big smile came across her face, and she said, "Sure Mommy." and gave me a hug. 

Oh, how I wish I could remind myself of this on an hourly basis. God sees. God cares. God loves. It takes me back to middle school when the "What Would Jesus Do?" campaign took off. I need a "God's Watching You" campaign. Sounds a little creepy  but what a good reminder. While I'm still very thankful my house is not made of actual glass, and there are no cameras, I pray I become more mindful that God is watching me. To pretend, if you will, I do live a glass house. He sees me at my worst, in my lowest moments (and of course all the good) and yet extends grace and love. Praise God!

** Side note: A few hours later, my daughter sat at the lunch table and said in a sweet voice, "Mommy, I'm really sorry for dumping the chocolate chips. Will you forgive me?" After forgiveness was given for her previous indiscretion  she smiled and added, "I love you." Wow! Is it possible she appreciated the sincere apology she had received from me earlier, that she was moved to apologize herself on her own? Is it possible I just had a quick glimpse at how my children learn from my example? How cool is God?**