The Eyes of a Child

   Advent is a time of waiting.  A time of preparation for the coming of our Lord.  It is a time of expectation and hope.  The arrival of the expected Messiah and the hope of eternal life through His love and mercy.

   In the eyes of the children we can see the joy of anticipation and hope as they look to the calendar each day to see how many more days they must wait for Christmas.  They watch in wonder as the presents appear beneath the tree.  Their anticipation grows with each passing day.

   Do we look at Christmas with the same level of expectation and hope as our children?  When we look at the calendar are we counting the days until we celebrate His birth or are we frustrated because there is still so much we need to do before Christmas?  The urgency and rush of the season can overwhelm us and take from us the joy that we should be anticipating.  The greatest gift ever given will be remembered and celebrated on that day.  Our thoughts and anticipation should be for the coming of our savior yet we spend our time worrying about getting the shopping done or what we’ll wear to the Christmas parties.

   We need to take a lesson from our children.  We need to focus on what is important rather than the trivial.  The kids know what matters; the gifts under the tree.  Their focus is directed toward that one expectation.  They may not understand the true meaning of Christmas yet but they know it is the most important day of the year.  We will teach them the real reason we celebrate as they mature enough to understand but for now their joy and happiness is a wonderful example for us to emulate.

   On Christmas Day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ; the One who came to lead us to eternal life.  There is no other event that is more deserving of our anticipation, expectation, joy and happiness.  Even though they don’t fully understand the reason, children know the importance of that day.  Let’s join in their incredibly jubilant celebration of Christmas and welcome the birth of our Lord with joy.