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The
other day a shopping outing took us into a store that had a kid sized battery
operated "Jeep" - like vehicle on display. Ben and Daniel were fascinated
by the contraption and spent ten minutes or so "looking under the hood." They
opened compartments and checked out all the gadgets, all the while refraining
from actually sitting in it.
Soon Daniel grabbed me by the little finger and pulled me to
the other end of the store to have a look. He pointed out a few of the features
and then asked if it was okay to sit in it. I looked at the already "kid-used"
vehicle and decided maybethey might break something that I wasn't willing to pay
for. So I told him "no." Daniel replied matter-of-factly, "But I just
want to see if the seats are comfortable!" A few "grandmothers" around me
chuckled and I could see the title "Grinch" being my new nickname. We asked
permission and Daniel and Ben got to try out the seats!
My problem was how I viewed the car. I am a protective
parent, Daniel is a child looking at a very tempting wonder. If I don't
take time to think about his perspective, I won't make a very good parent.
As Christians, we may all read the Luke
account of Jesus' birth around Christmas but we can have some very different viewpoints.
We will have differentways of responding to the Christ Child and worshipping
Him. The Shepherds left their flocks in the field at night. The Wise
Men traveled months to bow before the Baby and present gifts.
In other cultures around the world, people aren't necessarily
thinking Christmas trees or snow. There are even several different dates
on which the Advent is celebrated. Yet
all
true believers turn to worship the Son in response to His birth.
Don't let the trappings of western culture dictate what Christmas
means to you. Remember that true worship of Jesus Christ is what really
matters.
All Scripture references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise
noted.
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Different Perspectives
