Ladies, Ladies…All the Ladies!!

It’s 7:45pm and I just stepped out Emma Faye’s room.  The boys were so tired they haven’t made a sound since 7:15.  The house is quiet all for the load of laundry washing, the load that is drying, the oven preheating for my frozen pizza and the air whistling through the vents warming us all to a nice 73 degrees.  It’s been a difficult week- getting back into the swing of things.  I’m so tired.  I keep thinking something is wrong with this pregnancy, but my doctor continues to assure me all is well and my family and friends continue to remind me that I am taking care of one more person than I was with the last pregnancy.  I suppose I’m just getting old.    Chris came home for a few hours this afternoon before he headed back out to work and I retreated to the bedroom for a quick nap.  I take what I can get these days.

But it’s Christmas!  This keeps me up and going.  Aside from the morning arguments as to who gets to plug in the Christmas tree lights or evening quarrels as to who gets to inflate our very large and tacky lighted snowman outside in our front yard, it’s still an exciting and precious time for our family.  I had forgotten how just a mere trip out at night up to choir practice becomes a magical winter wonderland experience for my children as they point in awe to all the glistening lights and festive decor as we wind through our neighborhood.  One particular decoration became quite the conversation piece.  We passed a house with a massive wood cut and painted Santa’s workshop -elves and all- resting there right alongside a plastic light up Manger Scene stocked full with all the usual attendees: Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, Shepherds, Angels, and Wise Men.  Josh immediately stated, “I didn’t know Santa’s workshop was in heaven with Jesus?”  Now, I don’t really know what he was meaning about the heaven thing, but I do understand his confusion.  I had the same similar thought.

There he was right there sharing in the flood light with the depiction of our Savior’s birth… SANTA.  Now, hold on, I’m not going into an anti-Santa dissertation, here, but this visual really spoke volumes to me.  So often the world and it’s values, and it’s perspectives are sitting right up there in the front yard of my heart alongside my Christian values and the truths I believe in Christ.  And often, they don’t share the throne very well.  The “world” is constantly fighting for ALL of the spotlight… especially, lately.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.  We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ… (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

I was reading this passage just this week and I thought about that silly Santa’s workshop.  I thought about how many things I idolize and value that are all silly Santa workshops compared to the glorious Emmanuel and the miracle of God sending his son.. CHRIST, to walk with us, physically.  He walked in flesh as we walk, and yet knew know sin.  He became our sin and died so that WE may become pure through HIM.  Anything holding power over our hearts other than that truth is something that needs to be taken captive and matched up against the knowledge we have of our Lord.  That means all of our stresses, all of our sadness, all of our anger and resentment, all of our weaknesses, all of our finances, all of our children, and our marriages, and our family baggage.. all of our past failures.  In Christ, we are given the ability to combat these detrimental thoughts that steal the light from the one TRUE LIGHT.  The light of the world- Jesus!  This is what I’m praying through tonight.  I have a lot of work to do as I begin taking captive of some really deep, painful emotions.  But God is good, and promises to bestow the power to rid myself of these.  May the floodlights of your heart be centered on Christ, this Christmas.  Keep those “Santa workshops” out where they belong…in their sealed boxes at Wal-mart andLowes.