All the world needs now is Santa

Santa Claus was always a very important person in my house when I was growing up. He was the Big Man, the Jolly Old Elf, and the one who would know if I was being bad or good - regardless of whether I had my parents fooled or not. Santa always came, whether my parents had enough money for Christmas gifts or if it was a tight year financially, Santa could always be counted on to come through with something special.

The tradition of the Jolly Old Elf was one that I was very happy and eager to pick up with my own children. Telling the tales of Christmas origins, such as the first Christmas tree, are stories my kids still enjoy hearing, even though my two oldest are in and approaching their teen years. It warms my heart to hear them listen attentively to Christmas stories, and makes my heart feel like bursting with joy when I hear them turn around and re-tell those stories to their toddler brother. They have the Christmas Spirit.

And as much as these things make my heart happy, it saddens me to know that so many children don't have the Christmas Spirit. To them, Christmas is merely a time of year to get things they want. My husband and I were talking about this just a few days ago and I told him that I felt very strongly that the "Me" generation was killing Santa Claus. They are not teaching their children about Santa Claus because it's easier not to. The parents get to lavish their children with gifts galore, and take all the credit for it themselves. This can be doubly seen in a society where marriages are just as likely to fail as they are to succeed and parents resort to trying to buy their place as the child's favorite parent. These kids don't know Santa, and their parents are not teaching them one of the most important lessons of all humanity.

Santa's History

Santa Claus goes by many names and faces. In Dutch and Belgium, where the legend of Santa began, he is referred to as "Sinterklass" and often called "De Goede Sint", or the Good Saint. Santa Claus also goes by the name of Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle,  and Father Christmas. Each of these names are based on individuals who gave gifts to the people of their time, often gifts that made the difference between life and death for individuals. Saint Nicholas, for example, refers to the 4th century Greek Christian bishop Saint Nicholas of Myra. He gave gifts to the poor, including dowries presented to the three daughters of a poor but pious Christian so that his daughters would not be forced into prostitution.

Many people argue that they don't agree with Santa because they are not Christian and obviously Santa is a religious figure. Not entirely true. Santa existed before Christianity, though Christianity did change the face of Christmas when, after the Reformation in 16-17th century Europe, many protestants changed the gift bringer to be that of the Christ Child, or "Christkindl". With the change in name came a change in the date that gifts were exchanged from early December to Christmas eve. For Christians, Santa and Christmas go hand in hand - the gift giver and the ultimate gift. However, Santa doesn't have to be just for Christians. Anybody can experience the wonder and joy of Santa.

The most important lesson of all.....who Santa really is

This is the part that I wish people would pay attention to....the part that every child understands without being told, and that every adult forgets in the hustle and bustle of life. Santa exists, and he does so in each and every single one of us. Santa is the embodiment of the Holy Ghost manifest in each of us. Whether you are giving your money to the poor, sharing a meal with the hungry, or simply giving your love and prayers to someone in need, the Spirit of Christ is there, represented through our sacrifice. Santa is our way of reminding others that we all have received an awesome gift, while at the same time giving thanks to God for the gift of His Son.

Santa exists, as the physical representation of all that is good in our hearts, in our souls, and in our world. When an individual reaches out to someone in need, with no thought of compensation, that is Santa in action. When a person is moved to tears, and to pray, for someone in pain or in need, that is Santa in action. Santa lives, as long as there is compassion and kindness in our hearts.

So to all of you this holiday season, I pray that you will be blessed with peace, love, and happiness in the coming year, and that each of you finds the Santa within your own hearts and that you share his Spirit with those around you.

The Prodigal Daughter

The Parable of the Prodigal Son has always been one of my favorite biblical parables, possibly because it's one I can easily relate to. Many people, though, I think take the wrong lesson from the parable, or they simply don't understand it. My theory on this is very similar to the story of the threstrals in Harry Potter. Let us digress for a moment.......

In the wizarding world of Harry Potter, threstrals are a type of winged horse that are only visible to people who have seen death. Similarly, I think the only people who truly understand the Parable of the Prodigal Son are people who have turned away from God's Grace and later come back to it.

Now, getting back to the Prodigal Son.....

For anyone who has not read the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament, the Parable of the Prodigal Son is the final parable in a trilogy that talks about loss and redemption, with the previous two parables being the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Parable of the Lost Coin.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son talks about a young man who asks his father for his inheritance early, so that he may travel the world. The father gives in and gives the son his share of the father's inheritance and the son departs his father's house. The father has one other son who stays behind to continue helping his father with the duties of the farm and household. As the departed son travels the world, he squanders the money on prostitutes, wine, and all sorts of frivolities until finally he finds himself with no money left. He ends up having to take a job as a pig herder, which is the lowest of lows. As he minds the pigs he realizes that he is jealous of them for the riches they have, even as pigs, that he does not -  such as food and shelter. He develops a plan to go back to his father, tell his father that his son is no longer worthy to be called his son, and beg for a place as one of the servants because even as a servant in his father's house he would have more than he has now. The son makes his way back home and the father sees him coming up the way and runs to him, embraces him, and rejoices that he has returned. The father orders a fattened calf to be slaughtered and a feast held in celebration of the joyous occasion of his son's return. Now, while all of this is going on, the son who had stayed behind with the father grows angry. He never left his father, he stayed to do his father's bidding, even while his brother went out and partied all of his inheritance away. The father tells the son who stayed that he should not be angry but rejoice, for his brother has returned from the dead.

This parable has many lessons for those that really pay attention, and the more subtle lessons come from the stories of the two sons. There is more here than a father who is relieved to have his child home safe and sound, and there's more here than a son who is jealous that his brother got to travel and party on their dad's dime and then gets welcomed back home like a celebrity. No, there is so much more.

The story of the son who left is easy to decipher. The son took his father for granted, wanted to try to make it on his own in the world, took his share of his inheritance (not bothering to wait until his father had died), and set out to enjoy the world. It didn't take him long to realize that he couldn't survive on his own. He became lower than the lowest animal and had nothing to sustain him. He missed his father's love, his warm house, and the nourishment his father provided him. He decides to go home and offer to become a lowly servant just to be able to get back a small portion of what he had before. The father welcomes his son back with open arms, grateful that the son would rather be a servant with him than alone in the world.

The story of the son who stayed is a little more difficult. This son stayed behind, got no celebration or thanks, but continued his duties faithfully, even up to the point when his brother returned and got a hero's welcome. Why did his father welcome his brother back so quickly and so warmly? Had he not been the one who stayed while his brother spent their father's money on wine and women? Truth is, he didn't stay because he loved his father any more than his brother did. He stayed because it was what was expected of him. So, the son who stayed did so out of duty, not out of love.

This is where the parable gets truly dynamic and mind-boggling to those who have never been on the outside looking in at God's good graces. God does not want us to love Him because we're supposed to....He wants us to love Him because we want to. It's the whole reason behind free will. God gave us free-thinking minds, without which we would be nothing more than puppets. No, He gave us a choice - a choice between good and evil, between loving Him or not. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is God telling us that He wants us to appreciate Him for who He is and what He does for us, not simply because our parents or our church tells us we should. The wonderful thing is, and this is what the parable is all about, God forgives us if we stray. If we tell our Heavenly Father that we would rather give it a go on our own and sample the riches of the world without Him, He will be there waiting for us when we epically fail and come home begging just to be let in as a lowly servant, much less one of His children. The parable is about choosing to love Him, and understanding that if we mess up along the way He will be there to welcome us back no matter what.

As for me personally, I will admit that I am a prodigal daughter. I have left my Father's house before. I have tried life on my own, and I'll tell you a little secret.....there's no place like home. And if you're wandering in the cold, come home. Father is waiting with open arms to greet you.

The Greatest Gift

I was thinking about you the other day and wanted to get you a gift. As I thought more and more I couldn't think of anything worthy to give you. I wanted to get you something special.....something that would show you how special you are to me, how great a friend you are, how much I appreciate you, and how lucky I am to have you as a part of my life. I decided the task was too great to bear alone, so I took my dilemma to God.

I prayed to Him and said, "Lord, I want to get them something special, so they'll know how grateful I am to have them in my life and how much they mean to me."

And then the Lord said, "If you could give them anything, anything at all, what would you give them?"

I thought for several long moments and said, "I would give them peace; peace like I can only find when I am with you, Lord."

And the Lord said, "Is that all?"

I thought some more and said, "If I could give them anything at all, I would give them peace. But I would also give them a lifetime of making sure their needs were met so that they could have security. So I would give them peace and security. And faith, Lord, I think faith is important. With faith they would be able to weather the bleak days knowing that better ones are coming. I would also give them the strength to bear those dark days, to stay strong until the sun shines through the clouds. Yes, Lord, I would give them peace, security, faith, and strength.....and love. Love is important too....maybe the most important. If I could give them love then they would know that they are still special even if the whole world turned it's back on them.....they would still be special to me. That's it. I would give them peace, security, faith, strength, and love."

I thought about this for a moment, wistfully thinking that this was the perfect formula.....all I had to do was find a gift that represented love and strength and faith and security and peace. Where would I find such a gift, though? I frowned, troubled again that I was right back where I started from. But then the Lord spoke to me, and He said, "My child, don't feel sad. I have the perfect gift for you to give." and in my mind flashed a picture of a book. A simple book, aged and weathered by years of pages being gently turned.

"A book, my Lord?"

"MY book, my child. You see, in the Bible....in MY Word, you will find peace that only I can give you, a peace that will make the worries of the world fall at your feet. And security. Through my Word you will see that I will provide for your every need and take care of you all of your days, so that you can rest assured and secure. And faith. In my Word you can have faith that the bleak days are fleeting and better ones are already on the way. And strength. In my Word you can take strength in knowing that the darkness will fall and the Son will shine through to guide you and protect you. Nothing can keep you from the Light of the Son, and in this knowledge you can gather strength to move mountains. And love. My precious dear one, in my Word you will find unconditional love that knows no end, for you are special to me and if the whole world were to turn its back on you then you would still be precious to me, because I love you and there is nothing that can change that. I have already given you these things that you want to give as gifts, and they are all there for the giving in My Word."

And I knew right then and there that He was right....I had already received the greatest gift and it was mine for the giving if I wanted to share it. I could share with you the Word of God and in His words you could find all the things I wanted to give you.......peace, security, faith, strength, and love...the greatest gift, provided by the greatest giver - God.




Peace:  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11: 28-30

Security:  "I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:19-34

Faith: "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." - John 14:11-14

Strength: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. - Ephesians 6: 10-17

and Love: "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” -  John 14: 18-21

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:37-39

My Dad gave me a dog so I would love Him more......

I was thinking the other day ~ which is always a dangerous thing ~ about the trials and tribulations I experienced as a dog owner. My dog was like one of my kids, just furrier. I found Chewie when she was just a few weeks old. She was so weak she could barely move. I rushed her to the vet and discovered that she was so covered in fleas that she was anemic, she had worms so bad her little belly was distended, and she was starving to death having been separated from her mom before being weaned. She weighed a pound and a few ounces. The vet told me not to get attached and to bring her back in if she was still alive in two weeks. I took her home and bottle-fed her this disgustingly-smelly concoction of goat's milk, lactaid, and de-worming medicine. I remember that night so clearly because I remember being too scared to fall asleep. I was so terrified that I would fall asleep and wake up to find that she had died in the night, alone. I figured if I stayed awake and she passed at least I could be there to comfort her in her final moments. That night was touch and go....there were several different times that I thought I was going to lose her....but she made it. I continued to bottle-feed her over the next couple of weeks and when I took her back in to the vet's office she weighed over six pounds! The vet was incredulous and the entire staff came back to the examination room to see the puppy that lived! That was the beginning of a soul-changing relationship that lasted for 12 years. During that time, Chewie was like any other dog.....she chewed on things, would always try to burrow underneath me when the thunder scared her, barked at things in the night that only she could see, and once in a rare while would even mess the carpet if she refused to go outside to potty before bedtime because it was raining and she didn't want to get her paws wet. Despite how big a nuisance she tried to make of herself, I still loved her as though she was a child - my child - and when it came time for her to go it felt as though a part of me went with her. She's been gone for two years now and I still miss her horribly. And as I was thinking about her the other day something occurred to me that was so powerful it took my breath away....God sent Chewie to me so that I would love Him more. Before you start laughing hear me out.

I found Chewie alone, starving, and dying. Spiritually, without God, we are no different. We are alone, our souls are starving for the Truth of His Word, and we are dying. I took Chewie in and nurtured her, fed her, and saved her. God did the same for me....He took me in, fed my soul, provided for my needs both in this world and the next, and saved me - body and soul. Despite all of Chewie's faults and the havoc she occasionally.....okay, frequently..... wreaked in my life I loved her more than any one could imagine. And God, in all His infinite glory and forgiveness, loves me more than I could ever imagine -  despite my weaknesses, faults, and tendency to make a huge mess of His perfect plans for me. The first night that I had Chewie, when she was at her weakest, I couldn't bear the thought of leaving her....not even to sleep, for fear that she would suffer alone. The same is true for God. God never leaves us....especially when we are at our weakest. If we love Him and let Him into our hearts we will never have to go through anything alone. Can you comprehend how overwhelming that concept is? because it took me a while to be able to grasp it. God will never leave us, whether we're at our best or at our lowest He will be there because He doesn't want us to have to go through anything - good or bad - alone.

Knowing how deeply and strongly I felt about Chewie, the realization that God feels that way about me was staggering. It was enough to take my breath away and make my heart overflow with a whole new appreciation for my Father and His endless blessings. I knew at that moment that Chewie had been a gift from Him, something that would be precious to me so that I could understand how precious I am to Him. It worked.....I love Him now more than ever.......and not just because He gave me a dog!

(1996-2008)
In memory of my beloved Chewie 

a true gift from above.

Giving credit where credit is due

Having good luck is a claim made by those who are unable or unwilling to recognize the miracles of God's good graces.

I've always thought it funny how quickly people will give credit to luck when something good happens but blame God when something bad happens. When someone has had something positive happen in their lives, why is it so difficult to give credit where credit is due? I've often thought to myself "maybe if you would recognize your good luck as what it truly is - a blessing from God - then maybe you would have less to blame Him for". Everything good that happens in our lives is a gift from God, not some mere happenstance of luck. Why is it so difficult for us to accept that? Perhaps it's because then we would feel beholden to Him. Maybe we would feel indebted for our good fortunes, compared to chalking it up to luck and the mysterious forces of the universe. Why is taking a moment to say "thank you, Lord, for everything that you've given me" so difficult to do?


And the blame game....people credit good things to luck but blame God when things don't go their way. I wouldn't be surprised if the angels above have ~ lovingly ~ nicknamed the human race as "God's ungrateful spoiled brats". Bad things happen because someone, somewhere, executed their right to free will in a bad way. It sucks, but those were the consequences that came when God gave us minds of our own so that we could be independent souls instead of pre-programmed robots. What many people fail to realize is that GOD ALWAYS MAKES IT RIGHT! Yes, crappy things happen, but God will make it up to you. And, who knows, He may have orchestrated it all along so that you could have something better.


The point of this tirade is simple....when something bad happens in your life do not immediately blame God for it. Be thankful to Him that it wasn't worse and try to see the good that might come from it. Be patient - sometimes the good might take a little while to happen or to be realized, but it is there. And when good things happen in your life, take a moment to thank God for it. Thank Him for waking up that morning, for being able to do the things you can do, for having the family and friends that you have, and for the smallest pleasures in life - because He gave that all to you. He gave you the world, the universe, and the universes beyond....He gave you eternity, and all He asked for in return was your love and praise. Thank Him...for the good and the bad, for the big and the small. It only takes a moment to give credit where credit is due.

Letting Go

When you feel like a tiny mouse
And the world becomes too heavy.....
Take two steps back, hang your head,
And breathe, slow and steady.

Open your heart and trust the Will
Of the One who wore thorns as a crown.
Trust your all to His beck and call
And without fear lay your mind down.

Let go the things you can not change
Let go with trust, never wary.
The Lion and the Lamb, They have a plan,
This burden is not yours to carry.

Now go with peace into a brighter day
Weighted not with strife and sorrow.
Put today to rest, you gave it your best
And look forward to a brighter tomorrow.

Using God as a GPS

I was on my way to visit my mom today when, for some weird reason, I started thinking about my GPS. It's been a very reliable GPS......easy to understand and quick to come up with an alternate route when I'm being stupid and take the wrong road. And as I was pondering this it dawned on me that God is a lot like my GPS.

Just like my GPS, God has a route in mind for me...... and it's usually a better route than the one I would have taken if left to my own means.

Just like my GPS, God allows mistakes and calculates a different path to get me to my destination. Sometimes I may have to pay tolls as a consequence of my actions, but He never criticizes me for making a wrong turn and is quick with an alternate route to get me back on track.

Just like my GPS, God recognizes when there are detours along the route and is quick to steer me down safer paths, around dangerous situations.

Just like my GPS, God knows more about where I need to be than I do. Even if I don't know the exact address of where I'm going, as long as I know the general area my GPS can guide me to where I need to be. God is like this too.....I may not always know exactly what direction I need to be going in, but if I let God lead me then I know that I'll end up where I need to be.

And just like my GPS, I rely very heavily on God to get me where I'm going. He makes my life easier, less complicated, and less stressful when I stop side-seat driving and let Him lead the way.

I realized shortly after my husband bought it how much we all relied on the GPS. I never realized until today how much God is like my GPS. Perhaps now I should say that I have two GPSs..... one Global Positioning System and one Guide and Protector for my Soul....and I would be eternally lost without either of them!