The best gift

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it." Ephesians 2:8,9 NLT

Nearing the end of my early morning run yesterday, I glanced down in time to see a neatly folded letter lying in the gravel near my feet. Feeling the urge to read it, I gently opened the paper to see words clearly written by a child in red, "Dear Santa, I am so happy that you read my note that I gave you. I've been sending you a lot of notes because I want a lot of toys but I don't know if I'm going to get my stuff I want so please tell me if I am going to. Love, Baylee." Smiling, I laid the letter back down and prayed that this child's parents, who had obviously told her about Santa, had also told her about Jesus. 

And you know, while it is certainly okay to celebrate the season by giving gifts to our children, we shouldn't neglect telling them about the true meaning of Christmas in a way they will understand. And doing that can be as simple as saying, "The true meaning of Christmas my child is that God sent his Son to be born in a manger and then to die on a cross to give you and me a gift we don't deserve and could never earn because of the 'good things we have done.' This gift is eternal life. And all you have to do to accept this gift, this gift that is better than anything that will ever come from a store, is to believe in Him."

So as you make your final preparations to celebrate the best time of the year, won't you prepare your heart and the hearts of your children to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas? After all, without the birth of Christ, it would just be another day. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder that, above all else, we are to teach our children the true meaning of Christmas. Help us to put You at the center of all our celebrations and to share boldly with others the story of Jesus' birth and the true reason for the season. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

For God so loved me - Jasmine Murray
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNCdN_Mu-yg