307

Yes, My Elf on the Shelf, There is a Real Jesus, 30 NOV

It’s quite often that I bump into a conversation about God and Jesus – and tonight I have to pause to tell you that I got to share the REAL meaning of Christmas with one of the most important people in my life – my son. My son IS my elf on the shelf – my director of activities, my wisdom-speaking genius – the most thoughtful kid ever known to man. He is my baby – he and my daughter are my joys – they are why I work, why I have life insurance, why I lost weight, why I am up out of bed before anyone and why I go to bed well after everyone – they are my purpose, they make me a mom blessed to raise them.

And tonight, over a conversation about an elf on the shelf, I witnessed a miracle and told of a miracle…

SO – elf – my elf is adorable, 11 years old, a thinker – a gentle and sensitive soul… he can explain a bible lesson to me better than anyone after hearing it just once – he takes it to his heart – he truly believes in Jesus and God. But as any eleven year old – he still needs training – he still needs guidance – he is still a product of our society – robbing children of their child-like wonder and making them grow up too fast. Blessedly my elf wanted to clean (yeah unheard of) the living room area so that we could start our Christ-mas village and especially cute is how he set up the nativity scene because he wanted his robotic dinosaur to be looking at the baby Jesus. He patiently waited for me to get off the phone – and sure, it was a very important phone call, but he was waiting and he is much more important than anything else swirling in my life right now. So yes, I shut my phone off and refocused all my attention to him – I only have my little ones for a few more years – and I need to focus on them – my plans are secondary…. God will put me where HE wants me, and not where he doesn’t, and I am not sad at lost opportunities because God’s plans are MUCH better than mine.

So, my adorable elf paused after setting the baby Jesus into the manger scene and then he asked the age old question – “Mom, people say Santa is your parents – and people say your parents move the elf on the shelf” – pause – pregnant poignant pause – what is mom going to say?  I replied “Well… what do YOU think?”  He answers that “I think Santa is God and Jesus and the presents drop from heaven” – pregnant pause – but I of course feel blessedly empowered to explain this: “Well, that is a great thought, but why did God send Jesus to us? – it wasn’t for toys and presents – so why is Jesus God’s present to us? ” – my son says “to give us forgiveness for our sins” – “Yes, but why did Jesus have to forgive us” – “Ummm…” – it is now that I know my mission everyday is to teach why – “Jesus was a gift from God to us – to forgive us from our sins so that …., why?” – “Ummm…” – “Jesus wants us to have ETERNAL —-” – “LIFE!” … Yes! – I knew that bible lesson was in that 11 year old head somewhere – and I hope and pray it stays in his heart and grows there – “Jesus came to save US by forgiveness to give US ETERNAL LIFE with God in Heaven” – silence – pause – thinking – processing… And absorbing ones faith takes time – takes repetition – takes teaching but most importantly reaching and nourishing conversations….

“So Mom – what about the elf on the shelf? – can you tell me if parents move him?”… Ok – time to come clean – I know that it is important to tell the truth and I say “Yes – your parents move your elf” – silence – pause – thinking – processing..… our elf on the shelf was not intended to be that – he is a GREEN elf – an ornament from the 40’s? 50’s? well before this myth started and I was not too pleased to hear the hoopla about it (sorry folks who have fun – but it’s quite a feat to generate even more work for yourself due to a successful movie) – yeah I wasn’t going to buy into it… but my then 9 year old wide-eyed and precious boy discovers this ornament in the box and declares that we have an elf on the shelf – and thank you God he didn’t know that the elf was supposed to be moved every day because neither did I – whew! and then the following year, after he was safely whisked away to Santa’s land at the end of the season, my then ten year old waited patiently for his return… Ummm… where did he go?… Ummm – where is “Hider”? – lost – hmmm… now what?  Yikes, oh dear – and I looked and I looked – and “Hider” was in such the safest spot – that he was so safe that I forgot where he was… rats… crushed hopes for a patient young soul… So my son writes “Hider” a note – about how he is the best hider in the world and how much he loves him – sigh… mom has failed – mom, who never wanted this myth perpetrated, is now caught in the middle of a sad boy longing for his elf… sigh… So tonight – tonight I came clean – I answered truthfully a natural progression of an eleven year old’s questioning… Probably the most important conversation about God that I have had this year – reinforcing that God sent Jesus to be real – to be real for each and every one of us – he wants Jesus in our own hearts to grow us to God – to remind us that we are HIS children… So next question – my son went to go ask his Father the tough next question – “Do you really have Santa’s phone number?” – I paused – I was in peace that I came clean about the elf and that I also shared the Good News!!! – AND THEN I SAW THIS RANDOM TIN CAN – and I don’t know why I picked it up –  I felt something draw me to that can – and poof – there he was!!! “Hider” – our elf – over two years LOST – LOST I tell you – and poof – within three minutes of sharing Jesus – of knocking that elf myth down a notch – there he was – hidden in that can for two years… my son hugs “Hider” and says “I am going to put him in the nativity – he is going to watch baby Jesus for us” – yeah – oh my tears – “YES MY Elf on the Shelf, there is a REAL Jesus.” There is no better blessing than to witness Jesus being born every day in people – especially your own children…

See, I think knowing Jesus is often born in us in stages – we get only enough understanding each time so that each individual can process at that very moment… And so yeah – Jesus is this miracle gift – I understand this in JOY and tonight in tears, when I was stilled by God… I thank you Lord for YOUR hand on my life and in my thoughts – on my family – guiding me every day is a miracle because God IS REAL – Jesus is REAL – the Holy Spirit alive and well – trust me – I know this – I just do – I really really do…

Jesus came to save YOU – to save us – in order to reach us into God’s eternal life – in order for US to reach the others… We want to be REACHING the others – near and far – we have more work to do – and our Father wants us to work at it – and He will reward us with a God-sighting WOW moment when we see His hand at work – it’s not silly- it’s just God watching me and knowing – thanks God… See, I talked about Jesus’s purpose – we all are Jesus’s purpose.

Thank you God for reaching me today – I long to work for YOU always…

Your loving child,

Me