Be Open To The Joy He Has For Us

Have you ever seen a small child’s face when the Christmas tree lights up for the first time? (And the second…and the third…)

It’s enough to make you put your decorations up yesterday.

And there’s nothing wrong with that. Jesus was a little child once, and He loved children. He must get it honestly: Surely God also loves children since He created them!

“You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned,” Jesus prays, but “you have revealed them to the childlike.”

When you think of being childlike, what do you think of? Is it temper tantrums and whining? Or is it wonder and delight? Indeed, there is both; what God is challenging us to is to be open to the joy He has for us.

It’s appropriate that a season as momentous as Christmas — encapsulating the Incarnation of the God of the Universe — has a season of preparation. Great events need time for things to line up, and our minds need time to wrap themselves around the immensity of what’s coming.

Let’s not forget the praise that flows naturally when we’re childlike. Let’s not lose sight of the wonder God has given us. Let’s use this Advent time to embrace the gift we’re being given.