When Every Day is Christmas!

In our home, their is one book that we read many times a day..... the Bible (particularly the Jesus Storybook Bible). My two and a half year old daughter LOVES to read and be read to. She has many books that she gravitates toward, but by her own admission "Cinrelly and Baby Jesus my favorite!' And though days go by when we do not hear the Cinderella story, not one passes that we do not read the story of Baby Jesus.

One day she came into the room with a doll stuffed up her shirt, a baby blanket draped over her head and said, "I need a donkey." She plays the roles of Mary, Baby Jesus, the angels or whatever else she relates to that day!

She is fascinated by the fact that angels came to talk to Mary and seems sympathetic when she retells the story that there was no room anywhere in Bethlehem for Mary and Joseph. "Every woom was full," she says with a sad shake of her head. She is excited that they found a stable to with animals to stay in and claps, singing, "hooray, haleloooya" with the angels who announce the birth of Jesus. She is in awe of the star that shined brighter than the rest, to lead wise men from far away to worship the new baby king. No matter how many times she reads it, it is never common place, it is never boring... it is always amazing to her, full of joy and wonder.

The birth of Jesus, the story of our Savior coming to earth as baby is an awe inspiring tale. But the crucial point of the story is that it is not just a mere story. It is not just a past event in the annals of history. Unfortunately we have tendency to downplay this act of boundless love and forget that the star that shone marks the only true light in our world. Instead we box up this unfathomable event into a pretty little tale, bind it with a colorful ribbon and open it at Christmas time. What a loss!!

I am so thankful that God has used my daughter to remind me to celebrate the gift of Jesus every day. To remember that the story of His birth is really an example of God's unbreaking, unending and sacrificial love for us....makes me read it with tears in my eyes. I look forward to reading my daughter her favorite story and sharing a daily reminder with her of how and why we are able to live in the love, grace, forgiveness and light of God.

So in our home, we retell and act out the story of Jesus' birth. We sing, we laugh, we dance, we get excited!! Don't wait until the Christmas season, the Easter service, or the highs and lows of your life to celebrate the miraculous gift of love, light and life that has been given to us. Start the party today!