Ahhh yes, it is that wonderful time of year again.
The stockings have been hung by the chimney with care, all is silent, all is bright, and bells will be ringing.
But for every parent who dares, it also means our favorite friend will be visiting.
That’s right, it is time for the elf to arrive.
This year, before the tree even went up, my oldest was begging to know when the elf would arrive.
In all honesty, I do love the idea of the elf.
I love how it adds excitement and anticipation for the kids during the Christmas season.
The problem is, with all the hustle and bustle of the Holidays, I can forget to move the elf.
Then ensues the panic of the possibility that the elf’s “magic” has been diminished.
In our house, the rule is you can’t touch the elf or he can’t return to the North Pole to report to Santa.
With Little’s and animals scurrying about, this usually means the elf has to be up and away to avoid the temptation of little fingers and slobbery mouths (kids and pets included).
This past week, however, I made an exception.
I decided to move the elf on top of some freshly wrapped gifts, along with small bits of wrapping paper to add to the joyful illusion of the elf wrapping these extra special gifts for the kiddos.
In my true Pinterest mom attempt and naive belief that all of my children possessed the wheel-power to avoid touching the elf, I placed him and eagerly awaited their reaction.
At first sight, they were overjoyed.
It felt like a mom win, which is a rarity for me.
While basking in the glory of my victory, the inevitable happened, one of my littles touched the elf.
This sent the oldest into an instant state of panic, as you can imagine.
As I rushed to comfort him, God used him to comfort me.
All of a sudden his manic motions slowed and his red tear stained face found peace.
He looked at me with resolve and said mama, can we pray for the elf to be healed?
Granted, this would be a faulty healing since the elf is indeed fictional but none the less, I felt that the win here outweighed the loss.
The opportunity for my babies to see the confident hope we have in prayer was far greater than anything else I could have done. I want them to believe this at their core.
“And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”
1 John 5:14-15
No I don’t want my children to learn that prayer is a magic fix all, I made that clear a few weeks ago in, Jesus the Genie.
However, I do want them to know that there are more times then not that God answers our prayers. Even more so, I wanted them to know regardless of the answer, he hears them and knows our hearts.
So my Pinterest perfect elf setting didn’t go as planned but, my victory was greater in Jesus.
As my babies rushed upstairs to rest, I said my own prayer thanking God for his unabounding opportunities in the quiet of my living room.
I wrote a small note and moved the elf.
You should have seen their eyes light up and the praises to Jesus when they realized he heard them.
What a sweet piece of fruit to take in.
Thank you Jesus for opportunities we have as we pray. Thank you for not letting us settle for worldly praise and accolades. Lord I pray that we would all return to prayer in all things. I pray that today you would align us in your will and show us that you are far better than anything we can produce. I pray this with great expectation and humility, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Reason 2911 