Thursday, December 24, 2009

What the "code of elves" taught me about life...

What the “code of elves” taught me about life…

I absolutely love the movie “Elf”. I can watch it over and over and still laugh, it’s just that kind of movie for me. We first saw it when Mackenzie was almost a year old. We bundled up and went to the theater to watch it, and she sat quietly the whole time, just taking it all in. Then, when it came out on DVD the next year, we bought it as a family gift.
This may seem kind of odd if you know us, because you probably know that we don’t do the whole “Santa” thing and never have. We’ve always taught the girls that Christmas is first and foremost the time we set aside to celebrate Christ’s birth. How He left the amazing surroundings of Heaven to come to this dirty planet and dwell with us. He became flesh and lived with us! I still can’t wrap my mind around the love that it takes for the God of the universe to live as a human and deal with everyday humanity! As Max Lucado talked about in one of his books, Jesus was sinless and perfect, but He still dealt with human issues. As a pre-teen, He dealt with that pesky change in his voice, as a teen, He probably had a few bouts of acne, you know, just everyday things! I also feel like Jesus had to have had a great sense of humor. He knew after all, that a merry heart is like good medicine! So that brings me to “Elf”. I could be in the worst mood and that movie just makes me smile. Even hearing a quote makes me smile, “I just like to smile, smiling’s my favorite!”.
Tonight while it was starting and Buddy is in elf school, the “code of elves” struck a chord. For those of you aren’t “Elf” aficionados, I’ll share it with you.
1. Treat every day like Christmas.
2. There’s room for everyone on the nice list.
3. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!
So #1 is fairly simple, or is it? Do we celebrate our King every day? Do we dwell in His presence and revel in the fact that He cared enough to come as a baby, born in a stable? In place of the soft clothes and cooshy diapers we put on our babies these days, do we remember that He was in fact, wrapped in pieces of cloth and laid in a feed trough? I don’t think you can get more humble than that…I mean, the King of Kings put aside all He had in Heaven and came here! He knew that He was born to die. Treating every day like Christmas isn’t about eating candy canes 365 days a year, checking your stocking every morning or getting/giving gifts! If we do it the right way, it’s about taking time to honor our Saviour with everything we do.

#2 couldn’t be more true! It’s not Santa’s nice list that I think of though, it’s God’s! There’s room for everyone in the Book of Life, if only they’d accept His free gift of grace! It’s more than doing good deeds to get on God’s “nice list”, it’s about believing that He is the Creator of the universe, that He sent His one and only Son to earth, to be born to a virgin, live a sinless life and then give His life to atone our sins. Past, present, future sins, they’re all covered by His blood! No matter what you’ve done or where you are in life, Jesus Christ longs to give you forgiveness and salvation that stems from His great love! There truly is room for everyone on the “nice list”!

And lastly, we come to #3. Our lives are a song that everyone around listens to, whether we want to admit it or not. When we live out the Gospel and the love of Christ, our song reaches hearts that may have been hardened and bitter for years! We can truly spread Christmas cheer (remember, treat every day like Christmas) by singing loud for all to hear! Our neighbors, co-workers, teachers and family are the obvious audience that hears our song, but far deeper than that, think of the cashier at the grocery store, the bank teller and the server at your favorite eatery. They may not be listening at first, but when they see His love shining through your life-song, they’ll see a difference! A difference that could bring them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ! What better gift can you give someone than a life that is blameless and running over with His love?

Thanks Buddy the Elf, you have given me inspiration this Christmas! During the remainder of 2009 and throughout 2010, I will try to treat every day like Christmas, remembering that God has room for ALL on His “nice list” (the ground is level at the foot of His Cross) and that the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing (or living) loud for all to hear!

Merry Christmas to all of my friends! My prayer is that you too will learn a lesson from the elves!

I John 4:10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins!