Naughty or Nice

Happy Christmas Eve!

Today is pretty laid back in the Young household. I am still doing my best to rest as much as possible as I "recover" from Kellah's birth last week (is she really a week old already?!). Taking it easy is getting harder for me as I really want to be up and about, but my body has kindly reminded me that I do indeed to rest a bit more.

And so this morning I sat and watched a Diego with Coralyn. In the spirit of the season I chose a Christmas episode. Santa's reindeer are stuck in the snow and can't pull the sleigh. Unless Diego helps them Santa won't be able to deliver all the presents to the animals! Thankfully, a kind and strong llama comes to the rescue and helps pull the sleigh free so Santa and his reindeer can be on their merry little way. At one point in the show Diego comes across the Bobo brothers (two monkeys who are always causing trouble). They are crying because they are so worried that Santa won't bring them any presents. The monkeys think they have been too naughty for Santa to give them anything. Diego assures the Bobos that though they are indeed naughty at times, they never really mean to cause trouble and they are always sorry when they do. He explains that Santa will still bring them presents, and the Bobos are relieved. Diego is then able to continue on his rescue mission to find Santa's reindeer. Of course Diego and his friend the llama are able to get the sleigh out of the snow and Santa flies off to deliver the presents to all the animals. What a happy ending!

But, of course I couldn't just sit and mindlessly watch Deigo. I simply "had" to make a spiritual connection. If I can't be up and about doing something, then at least my brain is going to be busy. Lawrence always teases me about my inability to stop thinking. My mind is always at work, and this morning was no different.

So here's what I got out of the special Christmas episode of Diego: I am so very glad God's grace doesn't depend on whether we are "naughty or nice." With Santa, the kind of gifts or the amount of presents you get is based on your behavior throughout the year. If you are "nice," you get what you want. If you are "naughty," you get nothing, or maybe just a little present (if you're lucky).

God is nothing like Santa (although He does know when we are sleeping or when we are awake, and He certainly knows if we've been bad or good...so be good for goodness sake). His blessings (gifts) do not depend on us at all. That's why it's called grace. We don't deserve a single thing, yet God showers us with love and mercy. He fills us with peace and hope and joy. He gives us strength and courage. He provides for us (abudantly), protects us, guides us, and lives in us! And He does all of this because HE is good. He chooses to love us, even though we certailny haven't earned His love. If anything, we deserve His hatred. We sin against Him, time and time again. In all honesty, we have earned a place in hell. We should be eternally separated from God. Instead, He invites us to dwell in His presence. He welcomes us to come to Him, at any time.

Today is Christmas Eve, and as we look forward to Christmas day tomorrow, I am overwhlemed yet again with God's love, and grace. If He had to wait until we were worthy of His presence, Jesus never would have come! Thankfully, He didn't wait. Hence, we have something to celebrate this Christmas! Not only did Jesus leave all of heaven's glory and come to earth as a tiny baby, He grew up and willingly gave His life so that we might live. Once again, He didn't wait for us to be worthy of this present. Rather, "God demonstrated His love toward us in this way: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Yet again, God has used my need to rest as an opportunity to speak to me, to teach me, to draw me closer to Him. When I sat down this morning, knowing I would pretty much be on the couch until I have to get ready for the Christmas Eve service tonight, I was extremely frustrated. However, God has turned that disappointment into gratefulness. As is His custom, He has blessed me in an expected way, and thankfully His gift didn't depend on me being "naughty or nice" because I certainly wasn't thinking very nice thoughts as I plopped myself on the couch earlier today.