For the last few weeks I have looked after two of my grandchildren on my day off so my daughter can go to work. One child is two years old the other is nine months old and both are little girls. I think I must have forgotten what it was like to look after little children even though I had five of my own.

One morning, Charlotte, the 2 year old, found some nail polish that my twenty one year old daughter had left out.  She was quite competently screwing off the lid so she could paint her nails. I grabbed it off her and said I would help and then started to paint her nails a bright shade of blue as this was the colour of the nail polish she found.  Then out of the corner of my eye I could see Eden the nine month old baby, climbing up on the kid’s table and was just about to fall off. (I only found out she climbed because she was standing up on the table.)  So as I ran to grab Eden off the table, I called out to Charlotte to keep her hands above her head and blow on her nails because they were not quite dry yet.  As I turned back to Charlotte after rescuing Eden and putting the offending chair away from the table so “the climber” would not repeat her performance, Charlotte had an itchy nose and so had started to scratch her nose – with her WET nails. Guess what?  She now had a blue nose!  I wondered what her Mum was going to say when she came home.

I grabbed Charlotte’s hands, helped her scratch her nose and blew on the nails to dry them faster. Then I hunted around for the nail polish remover so I could remove the offending blue stains. While Charlotte was watching TV, I used a saturated tissue to rub gently at her blue nose.  Of course nail polish remover smells, so I was told by the two year old, “it’s smelly!” Between pulling away from me and watching TV, we finally got her looking normal and not like a blue Martian from another planet.

Naturally the climber then crawls over to see what is happening, because even at this young age, she tries to do whatever her big sister is doing. As she tried to climb up my legs to sit on the couch where we were sitting, she noticed some other toys that were more interesting and dropped down to the floor to seek them out.

All children at this young age need constant attention so they don’t get injured or get into something they shouldn’t. They need people to teach them, to guide them, to encourage and love them, to correct behaviour – to show them the “rules”.

All of this is done in a caring, loving environment.  It made me realise that I had been taught all of this years ago by my own parents. I have been blessed to come from a loving home that had disciplined me and taught me right and wrong and set me on the right path for life. Thank you Mum and Dad!

Do I think like this towards my loving God? Who over the years has guided me, taught me, cared for me, protected me from harm- came running to my aid when I was going to “fall off that table” in my life. He taught me right and wrong and set me on the right path for life. THANK YOU GOD for looking after me – especially when I did not deserve it. THANK YOU for sending your SON for me, for dying for me.  You have given me the choice to live with you forever. THANK YOU.

That day made me wonder if God is as exhausted as I was looking after two children.  No, God is inexhaustible! Thank goodness He has that nature, for we can depend on HIM for everything.  He never grows weary and He NEVER gives up on US. We are that precious to Him! Thank you God that as a grandparent, I can depend on you, and YOU restore my Soul (and my energy) especially for the next babysitting day!

Normally every year for the last 27 years all our children have been with Bruce and I on Christmas Day – the thing I love the most – family together sharing love and giving the love to each other.

But this year will be different.  Our eldest with her husband and daughter will be traveling and some of the others may be having lunch with thier parents-in-law (they will come over later).  My own parents  and brothers and sisters live in Brisbane.  I have not had a Christmas with them for 27 years (the same age as my eldest daughter)

I started getting a little teary when I was thinking about this.  Then I was reminded by the Holy Spirit what Mary, Joseph and Jesus had to put up with in the First Christmas.

Mary, was 8-9 months pregnant traveling on a donkey-up and down, up and down. No comfortable seats in a car or aeroplane. No shade from the hot sun or drinks ready on tap at a shop.

Then when Mary and Joseph did arrive at Bethlehem for the census, there are no rooms left. They could not ring ahead and book. No lovely comfy bed to lay on. They had to stay in a stable with the wonderful(sarcasm here) smell of droppings from the donkey, the cows ,possibly sheep.  The scratchy straw to lie on- the heat from the barn to live in, no airconditioning or fans.  The aroma would have not helped Mary being pregnant. When I was pregnant certain smells would make me dash to the toilet – the morning sickness or all day sickness even happened later in the third trimester.

Here was Mary after an uncomfortable ride giving birth to a baby – no clean towels, no midwife, no gas, no doctor, no painrelief. Then when Our Lord and King Jesus is born He is wrapped in a swaddeling cloth and laid in the feed tray of the cattle.  Not a beautiful disinfected crib or bassinett.

Who in their family came to visit them? Not Mary’s parents, not Elizabeth her cousin who she was close to.  Only some strangers who had followed a star. Some of these strangers brought presents while others, the shepherds, came in from the fields with nothing.

Both of these visitors came to adore the baby.

Why?

Because by the Holy Spirit  revealed to the visitors that this Baby was the Messiah – the Christ.

Many people today spend Christmas by themselves – no family or friends.  Maybe some in poor conditions like Joseph and Mary.  Maybe with no gifts brought to them.

May we all Know that Jesus, Emmanuel – God is with us – is the greatest gift that has been brought to the world at this Christmas Season.  And even though it happened 2000 years ago, it is true today as much as back then.

The Christ is born to US – the SAVIOUR – Born to bring sight to the blind, healing to those in need, to set the captives free and know that THE LORD IS ALWAYS WITH US  -  WE ARE NEVER ALONE.

So accept the gifts that Jesus gives to us this Christmas. He gives them freely to all who ASK of them. They will be the best presents you have EVER received and HE will be the BEST  FAMILY MEMBER you could EVER have at your Christmas lunch.

I am definitly going to remember that this Christmas and Pray that others will too.

There is an old Catholic song that states in the words some of the amazing truths of being a Christian: (italics mine)

‘Make me a channel of your peace’

(May I be an empty vessel for you Lord that brings peace, calm,restfulness and hope to this world)

‘Where there is hatred let me bring your love’

(Especially for those who dont deserve of your love- actually we ALL qualify for that job)

Where there is injury (hurt) your pardon Lord,

(your forgiveness and mercy)

and where there is doubt true Faith in you.

(a trust in God no matter what)

O Master grant that I may never seek

As much to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love with all my soul.

(to think of others more than myself)

This really hit home to me one day when Bruce and I were arguing about something – I dont even remember what!  The line of trying to understand more than being understood entered my head.  I actually stopped fighting for me, silently asked God for His Grace and tried to understand Bruce’s point of view. Peace reigned and my husband was surprised.

This is the ideal character of a Christian and so hard to attain but I need a goal to aim for.  I dont know about you, but without a goal I would just be very lazy and honestly some days it would be all about me.  As Paul stated in the New Testament – I know the right thing to do but I dont do it.

Thank God for His Patience, His Everlasting Love, Mercy, Grace and Forgiveness and that God looks at the heart. I will try to do my bit but I rely on God’s Grace and Him working through me to do ALL the rest.  I’ll pray for you, so please pray for me that God works in us so that one day we will be with Him in paradise.

The other day I was looking after my 20 month old granddaughter. It was her first sleepover. What a joy! Everything to her is full of surprises.  She looks into everything, discovers things she has never seen or done before, and draws me into her delight.  She helps me to see things with different eyes that make me appreciate life more.

Matthew 18:3 says the disciples asked Jesus who was the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Jesus called a little child and had him stand among them:  “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Little children seek and find , discover and dwell upon the delights of this world and live life to the full – this is how we need to be with God.  Seeking him and so finding him, discovering and dwelling upon the delights of God’s world and living Life to the Full as Jesus describes:  “I have come that you might have life and have it to the full.”  John 10:10b.

My granddaughter Charlotte and I went outside. She loves being outside! I picked a flower for her and suggested she had a smell. She put the flower not close  to her nose but nearly UP HER NOSE. Wow. That is what we should be like with God!  Get HIM UP OUR NOSE – INTO US and THEN we will have life to the full.

DWELLING with Him – oh, it is so satisfying.  I just forget till a little child reminds me what I’m missing out on.

Then I discover things about God, about myself, about life that help me living the life that I’m meant to live. Then I, with God’s grace, may enter the Kingdom of Heaven, my ultimate destination. It is all about me and my relationship with God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. So my granddaughter taught me a lesson – stop and smell the roses.