Christmas: Is about touch.
Posted by Richard Harris | | Posted On Saturday, January 1, 2011 at 3:56 PM
Quick name your favorite thing to do with preschool children…..Okay time is up. I am thinking if you are like me going to the park is a great thing to do with the kids. Maybe you like to watch a movie with preschoolers or play some sport with them. All of these are on my favorite list. Now this is just a guess but I am thinking not too many of you put shopping down as one of your favorites. I love my preschoolers for a lot of reasons, first and foremost because we think a lot of like.
Secondly they cannot sit still this is another one of my habits. But when it comes to doing some Christmas shopping, well they are not so much fun, bless their hearts. I love to shop at Mardel’s here in Texas and they try to help us parents of preschoolers out, but it just does not always work so well. Last week Kim and I took our 6 and 4 year old to the local Mardel’s and did a little shopping. This is how it works. Kim goes around the store doing the shopping and I watch the kids over in an area where there is a wooden train set and a television for the kids. For Caleb, the six year old this is great stuff, nonstop playing with the wooden train.
For Gracie all of this wooden train stuff means little to her. She likes to explore a little more than the average bear. So while Caleb is safely tucked away at the train set; Gracie and I are exploring a certain corner of the store. Here is how Gracie rolls. She moves to the stuffed animals and must touch each one. She does not have to pick them up but she must touch them. Then we move over to the doll with long hair and she needs to touch her as well. From there we move down the aisle to the videos. Each one must be touched and then if it looks out of place we must rearrange it as well. Putting each one in the order Gracie thinks it should be in. Dad’s job is to get things back the way Mardel’s likes it.
I am sure they have a picture of me and Gracie in the back on the ‘keep an eye on these two list’ . After we have touched all the stuffed animals and videos and have rearranged our portion of the store we move to the toys. Ahhh the toys they too must be, you guessed it, touched. Not picked up I remind you just touched. That is unless it is a doll or looks like something a girl would enjoy. Those items must be investigated more closely. Christmas shopping with Gracie is all about touch; come to think of it Christmas from a Godly perspective is all about touch as well.
Christmas is about a loving God that sent his son for us. That babe in the manger; that is all about touch. God at just the right time reached down into our sinful, hurting world and touched us with His love; we can still feel his touch today. That moment when someone you love has died and you feel that peace that you are going to make it another day; that is a touch from God. When a dream has died and your heart is broken but somehow you make it through the day to face another. That strength you gather; that is a touch from God. When you are feeling lonely, lost and insignificant in this big world; but out of nowhere a friend appears or a word is spoken that gives hope. That is God’s touch.
Perhaps Gracie and I touch a few too many things at Mardel’s, so far they have shown no limit to our touches.
When they do I am sure they will let us know. Fortunately we have a God whose touch reaches far beyond a corner of a store. We know this because he sent his son to touch our lives; he did it in person those many years ago on that Christmas day. That touch still resonates in our world and most of all in our hearts today. Thank you Lord for your indescribable gift; the gift of touch in our lives.
Scripture: John 1:1-4, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Prayer: Dear Lord, we come with just a thought of praise for your wonderful gift. We thank you Lord that you love us enough to be involved in our life. We give this praise in the name of Christ, Amen.
