I don't know when I first questioned whether Santa was real or not, probably 2 or 3 grade. I was always the kind of kid that wanted to know, not what was possible, but what was allowed. Tell me the rules. I wanted to know what was true. For a kid, what is true is pretty black and white, something either is or is not true. I still think that is true but our real understanding of the big picture is limited, so some things can be true but not look it, and other things can look as true as gold and yet be false.
I understand now that there are layers beyond the one I can see and feel, touch. Santa really was a bishop in Turkey a long time ago and he really was a giver to the poor and children. He was a person, and the spirit he engenders is still with us today. I think that it is not untrue to say that he is alive in the sense of that spirit. But behind that is the overarching presence of Jesus, it is God to whom we are really giving the gift, and whose spirit motivates us to be generous, to help others. Santa was a man of God and I do think that if he were alive in the flesh he would no more want to stand in God's place in our hearts than would Mary or Moses or any other great figure in the history of this world that has known and loved the Lord.
God is not diminished by these figures, but we can become confused. I don't want my kids either feeling confused about whether Santa is real or not; that they can't see him, but there is some evidence of his presence, and feeling in the same way that God is someone they are told is real but they can't see him (in the same way we see other things). I had to find out later that truth is a difficult thing to pin down sometimes and not everything is as it appears. I don't know if they have the same need to pin things down as I did, my son probably does more than any other. How do we walk that line without sounding either confused, disingenuous or silly?
I think of it like this, take my blog as an example. If you read it, you have evidence I am here, stuff gets written, it tells stories of a persons life. I could be making it up, you would have to get to know me better in order to find out if I was the kind of person who makes up stories for fun or if I am reliable. You could just read my blog and enjoy it for what it is without looking any deeper. But if you wanted to know if I was real you would have to reach deeper, you'd have to reach out and contact me directly, get to know me on a personal level. Then you would know for sure that I was real and not just a computer generated program that simulates a person or a monkey whacking keys on a keyboard that happens to look like ablog, or whatever.
That's what God is like. You have a story about him but if you want to move beyond the story and know for sure, you have to get to know him personally. I think the most amazing thing about him is that he has made a promise to us that if we seek him we will be able to find him. Anyone who really wants to can get to know God. All you have to do is ask, really want it in your heart. He knows who is seeking him.
Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
That is a promise, I have heard people say I don't know of any promises in the bible directed to me personally. Anything you can take to your heart and make your own can be a promise. God operates on faith, or he operates toward us on our faith. Sometimes he acts sovereignly but other times, it is our faith that drives what he is able to do in our lives. It is like opening a door, a little or a lot, and letting him act in our lives, how much we trust and believe what he says.
I'm ok letting Santa be, but I want to make sure that I and my kids know that Jesus is what we are celebrating. I want to let the spirit of generosity and compassion trickle deep into me, let it take root and develop a solid grasp on my heart. That is God's grip, not Santa's, and I pray that this Christmas as I open the door ever wider he will grab hold of me and never let me go.
I understand now that there are layers beyond the one I can see and feel, touch. Santa really was a bishop in Turkey a long time ago and he really was a giver to the poor and children. He was a person, and the spirit he engenders is still with us today. I think that it is not untrue to say that he is alive in the sense of that spirit. But behind that is the overarching presence of Jesus, it is God to whom we are really giving the gift, and whose spirit motivates us to be generous, to help others. Santa was a man of God and I do think that if he were alive in the flesh he would no more want to stand in God's place in our hearts than would Mary or Moses or any other great figure in the history of this world that has known and loved the Lord.
God is not diminished by these figures, but we can become confused. I don't want my kids either feeling confused about whether Santa is real or not; that they can't see him, but there is some evidence of his presence, and feeling in the same way that God is someone they are told is real but they can't see him (in the same way we see other things). I had to find out later that truth is a difficult thing to pin down sometimes and not everything is as it appears. I don't know if they have the same need to pin things down as I did, my son probably does more than any other. How do we walk that line without sounding either confused, disingenuous or silly?
I think of it like this, take my blog as an example. If you read it, you have evidence I am here, stuff gets written, it tells stories of a persons life. I could be making it up, you would have to get to know me better in order to find out if I was the kind of person who makes up stories for fun or if I am reliable. You could just read my blog and enjoy it for what it is without looking any deeper. But if you wanted to know if I was real you would have to reach deeper, you'd have to reach out and contact me directly, get to know me on a personal level. Then you would know for sure that I was real and not just a computer generated program that simulates a person or a monkey whacking keys on a keyboard that happens to look like ablog, or whatever.
That's what God is like. You have a story about him but if you want to move beyond the story and know for sure, you have to get to know him personally. I think the most amazing thing about him is that he has made a promise to us that if we seek him we will be able to find him. Anyone who really wants to can get to know God. All you have to do is ask, really want it in your heart. He knows who is seeking him.
Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
That is a promise, I have heard people say I don't know of any promises in the bible directed to me personally. Anything you can take to your heart and make your own can be a promise. God operates on faith, or he operates toward us on our faith. Sometimes he acts sovereignly but other times, it is our faith that drives what he is able to do in our lives. It is like opening a door, a little or a lot, and letting him act in our lives, how much we trust and believe what he says.
I'm ok letting Santa be, but I want to make sure that I and my kids know that Jesus is what we are celebrating. I want to let the spirit of generosity and compassion trickle deep into me, let it take root and develop a solid grasp on my heart. That is God's grip, not Santa's, and I pray that this Christmas as I open the door ever wider he will grab hold of me and never let me go.
posted by madmom at 9:00 AM
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