What School Children Love to do the Most
Column from Hattiesburg American
I heard it for 32 years. I heard what school children of all ages love to do the most. All teachers will understand this. We know students love to rip out a piece of paper, crumble it up and ask, "May I throw this away?"
Do you ever feel like that crumbled up piece of paper? Always there are those who take pleasure in finding our mistakes, ripping us out, crumbling us up and declaring we are useless and need to be thrown away.
There are times I want to crumble myself up. The holiday season brings out these feeling in me. I simply can't measure up to the extra cooking, extra shopping, extra entertaining and the extra emotions of the season.
I am reminded of this when the magazine with the gingerbread house appears on the scene. That magazine alone can put me down deep in the dumps for these reasons:
- My house never takes on the magic of those perfect pictures. Rip! Crumble!
- My food never resembles the fragrant dishes before my eyes. Rip! Crumble!
- My grandchildren never act like the little angles depicted on its pages. Rip! Crumble!
- My presents are not wrapped to represent memorable masterpieces. Rip! Crumble!
- My appearance does not even begin to resemble the perfect ladies on its pages. Rip! Crumble!
Confession time...my holiday portfolio is not all jolly. I'm like the two-year-old, protected on her dad's shoulders, waiting for the band. When the music drew louder, she covered one ear with the left hand and one eye with the right hand. I think she didn't want to miss one note. But she had to shield herself from the overpowering rush of the moment.
Do you ever feel that way about the holiday focus? Maybe we could just focus on the guest and the real reason for the celebration. Do you realize Christmas is the greatest concentration of divine love there ever was?
It is our responsibility, as Christians, to preserve the celebration of His love and life for our children and grandchildren. Much has been written about the silence surrounding that first Christmas. The familiar carol reminds us, "Silent night, holy night; all is calm, all in bright."
Dare I suggest to you in the birth of Jesus Christ, that silence is broken and the "Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Vince of Peace is born to dwell among us." Isaiah 9:6
If you are a Christian we can pray together,"Father, this holiday season may my home and my heart become a thoroughfare for your presence to move into the hearts of your children. May our celebration be pleasing to you. May we never allow the world or others to rip this joy from us, crumple it up, and throw it way." Amen
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