A Message for Santa

My granddaughter stood still, all 38 inches of her, clutching the outside of her big brother’s pants leg. With her slender fingers skillfully wrapped around his thigh, she leaned out from her position of safety and peeked at the large man with the long, white beard dressed in red.

There he was—Santa! Larger than life. The line of her peers crept forward, each taking a turn sitting with him, leaning close to his ear, and telling him what they wanted for Christmas. The closer they got to him, the better she hid her 3-year-old self behind her brother’s legs.

“I don’t want to,” she mumbled. Her big brown eyes wide and a bit panicked, she hoped her big brother would spare her this uncomfortable encounter.

“You don’t have to,” he picked her up and held her in his arms. “It’s okay.”

As they exited the line, her head resting on his shoulder, she took one last look at the man of the season, the man she was too timid to get close to, and the man she was counting on bringing her a present on Christmas morning.

Later that night, the two of them went with us to our local Christmas parade. Her body bobbed with delight to the tunes of the marching bands, and her whole face lit up when she got random pieces of candy from characters in the parade.

Eventually, Santa’s float could be seen approaching, signaling the end of the parade. We stood up, folded our chairs, and started to gather our blankets and other belongings. We all stood in the grass beside the parade route as the best float in the parade appeared right in front of us. Everyone was waving to Santa and shouting, “Merry Christmas!”

My granddaughter took one step in front of us, cupped her hands around her little mouth, and belted out, “Santa! I want Paw Patrol bath paints!” This little girl, who had been so quiet and timid, stood shouting her requests to Santa from a safe distance. She hollered the message at the top of her lungs three times as his float passed by. Then, she smiled. What a relief. She got to tell him what she wanted.

The scene reminded me of times when I have shied away from drawing close to the real Man of the season, our Lord Jesus Christ. I have hidden behind the walls of my comfort zone and peeked at Jesus from afar. Perhaps you have, too. We want Him to see us and care for us, but we get shy about coming close to Him. And He beckons us to come closer. He is the world’s Christmas present—God’s Only son, Jesus Christ. Let's receive Him with open arms!

Jesus stands at the door of our hearts and knocks. Whoever will let Him in, He will come in (Revelation 3:20). He teaches us His ways and offers us peace that surpasses all understanding (John 14:27, Philippians 4:7). And amidst all the clamor of life, He whispers, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NASB).

Today, let’s take whatever steps we can to draw closer to Jesus. He already knows what we need and listens so that we can confide in Him. We don’t have to holler from a distance and hope He hears us. The psalmist says it best, “I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my pleas. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live” (Psalm 116:1-2).

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Scripture is quoted from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.