Christmas in the Chaos

How do you celebrate Christmas in the chaos? I actually threatened to cancel Christmas last week.  Not one of my best moments.  Also, I have an exciting announcement at the end of this episode. You won’t want to miss it!  Welcome to episode #16 of The Family Bible Connection Podcast with Laurie Christine!  I don’t know about your house, but my kids have been extra chaotic lately.   It’s so easy to get discouraged with all the fighting and bickering and whining and complaining.  It’s tempting to feel like I’ve failed to convey what Christmas is really all about.  How many of you have actually threatened your kids with statements like, “Well, I’m not sure you deserve any presents this year,” or “If you don’t stop fighting with your brother, I’m going to take away all the presents.”   In a moment of craziness earlier this week, I actually told my kids that we might just have to cancel Christmas.   But then the Lord spoke to my heart, and reminded me of something. I sat my kids down and I said to them:  “You know what? Your Dad and I give presents to you because we love you so much. We want to bless you! We love to see you delight in the gifts we have given you.  And it’s not because you deserve the presents. You haven’t earned the presents with your good behavior and you can’t lose presents for bad behavior. There’s nothing you can do to make us love you anymore, and there’s nothing you can do to make us love you any less.  That’s just not how Christmas works.”   And the beauty of it all is that this is how God sees Christmas as well. He didn’t send Jesus because we deserved it. He didn’t send Jesus because we had earned it with all our good behavior.  (Quite the opposite!)  In fact, he gave us the greatest gift right in the middle of the chaos, right in the middle of our messy, sinful lives. He gave us Jesus because of his overflowing, overwhelming, un-ending love for us.  There’s nothing you can do to make God love you any more, and there is nothing you can do to make God love you any less.  That is the true message of Christmas. Christmas in the chaos.   Mommas, I want to remind you again that parenting is a long-term investment. Don’t get discouraged when your kids are complaining yet again that there aren’t enough presents under the tree. Or when they roll their eyes when you tell them it’s time to read the Christmas story from the Bible. Don’t give up.  Each year you are building on the foundation of the year before. Don’t feel like you’ve failed or that your kids have totally missed the whole point of Christmas.  Continue to be faithful to the work God has given you. Continue to celebrate Christmas in the chaos. God is working. One hug, one story, one moment at a time, God is opening the hearts of your kids to know Him and love Him and embrace His greatest gift. If you are still looking for a resource to help make Christmas more meaningful for your kids this year, I have a gift for you.  My ebook, The Night the Angels Got Lost is a short, 3 part Christmas devotional that will be perfect for you to read together with your kids.  Read the story the 3 days leading up to Christmas, or you can read the whole thing on Christmas morning. This book will not only bring a fresh perspective to your Christmas celebrations, it will also help you understand the significance behind the coming of the Promised Child – the Lamb of God who would one day be killed as a sacrifice for our sins.