The greatest gift as a parent is to see your children happy and fulfilled on Christmas morning. You watch them count down the days to this moment of pure joy and exhilaration. Every parent wants to see their child joyful on Christmas morning because our gift is to see them blessed and satisfied.
I recall one Christmas season early in our ministry when we were very short on money. We had a small family at that time, but we wanted to bless our daughter with everything possible. We did not know how we were going to give her a goof Christmas or even have money to pay our bills.
One evening someone knocked on our door and handed us a check for two thousand dollars. “God impressed on me to give you this money today.”
We jumped for joy, ran out, and bought our daughter everything we had wanted to but simply could not afford. We felt a release of joy as we witnessed one of the greatest gifts I had ever experienced.
We sometimes get lost in life’s stresses and demands. The Lord wants to bless us just as we bless our children. He has great things in store for us. The Father sent the greatest gift anyone could imagine – His only Son. The significance of Jesus can never be overstated because this gift brings a true joy that teleports us back to childhood and the excitement we experienced on Christmas morning.
Jesus tells us, as He taught His disciples, that we must humble ourselves like a little child to enter His kingdom. A child believes in the unseen and has faith to move mountains. When a child makes a request, parents will move mountains to make sure desires are met. The Father will also move mountains for us and give us great pleasures in our life.
Pleasure is from the Lord and joy derives from Him. He waits as a proud Father to give us joy and to bless us with great treasures. He is truly a great Father and He is waiting to bless us with great opportunity and peace. Peace is a result of security, and the Lord is waiting to hold us in our fear and displeasures to give us that unspeakable peace.
We were young parents struggling to support our family and pursue our dreams. We were brought back to a childlike dependence on the Lord, and He provided as a good Father. I can only imagine seeing His face as He gazed upon us seeing our joy in His gift.
You might be in the same position with different problems and different obstacles. The Lord is waiting and willing to help you as any good Father does for His children. Do not be afraid to depend on Him as a child because we all need a helping hand in our lives. This Christmas, remember your children’s joy as they open their gifts from you because the Lord is waiting to give you that same joy every day of your existence.
(Photo courtesy of morguefile and sideshowmom.)
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Oh that we could remember this throughout the whole year - even on the most challenging days.