Making Christmas about Jesus and not just Santa and Elves...

A couple of years ago we got an Elf on the Shelf as a gift. I thought it was a really cute idea so we put him around the house during the month of December the past couple of years. This year I wasn't sure if I wanted to use him (Buddy is his name) or not. I didn't want to send my kids the wrong message. The Elf comes to make sure the kids are being good so that Santa can bring them gifts for Christmas. This can be an easy way to get your kids to behave for a month. They disobey and you slowly look over to the Elf and say..."Buddy is watching. You better be good." As tempting as that is it is just not what Christmas and the Gospel are all about. So, after some prayer and consideration I thought I would try and use the Elf differently this year. There have been a few good pins on pintrest of some others doing this as well! As soon as I saw a pin about their Elf coming with a letter I knew what I wanted to do. The Elf has come, not to make sure my kids are "good" so that they get presents, but to celebrate the greatest gift that we got on Christmas Day and the greatest gift we have ever and will ever receive (Ephesians 2:8-10). Here is the letter that came with Buddy this year...

Each day that Buddy comes he has a special note about Jesus. I am using Advent Calendar that my kids school sent home with them that you can also find here.

My hope is that my children come to understand why we celebrate Christmas and enjoy celebrating Jesus. My hope is that Jesus is the treasure in our family. I'm not going to lie, that can be difficult in America. We have so much and everyone around us has even more (or at least that's what we think). We are surrounded by stuff that means to distract us from Jesus and that makes us want to fix our eyes on things that are temporary and unfortunately come Christmastime it is battle between celebrating Jesus and celebrating the things we get.

As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

Santa and the Elf are not real, but we have fun pretending. Jesus is our true treasure.

Half Help...

Right before the finish line! Gross!

stats...

So, I did it. I ran a half marathon. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done both mentally and physically. The great thing about pushing ourselves to do something just beyond what we are naturally inclined to do is that we must seek to find strength from another source and when that source is the Lord, you have never felt so alive and close to God.

It is good to put ourselves in situations that create a need for God. So often we believe we can do things in our own strength and often times we do. When we accomplish goals by our own merit we may get  a good result but we miss out on so much the Lord wants to show us and do through us on the journey. God longs to be a part of every part of our life. Every step.

 If you can imagine for a moment the love you have for your children (or that you will have) and how you would want to help them accomplish ANY good thing they attempt to do. That is a great love we are capable of and we are only human and we are limited in what we can do, even for our children. We have a heavenly Father who is unlimited and he has called us children. Nothing is impossible with God! This goes far beyond running, people! In the words of C.S. Lewis, we are far too easily pleased. Get your hands out of the mud and start living a life that is FULL. The best life you could ever want to live is available to you. Don't miss it. I don't want to miss it. It is found in Jesus. Do not be deceived. It is found in Jesus. Is he your treasure?

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!  1 John 3:1