
I hope you’ve seen the Hafod Hardware Christmas ad. The two-year-old going through the motions of running a store is a whole different level of cute. At the end of the ad, the two-year-old is a grown man and the words “Be a kid this Christmas” flash across the screen.
I can’t think of better advice. Here’s why. Kids have eternal hope. They fall down, scrape their knees, and get back up again. They fight with a friend and the next day ask to play with that friend. They don’t worry about sharing, even their favorite sweatshirt.
A dear friend of mine is experiencing her first Christmas as a widow. Another friend asked her friends on Facebook what they’d wish for if they could have anything at Christmas. The answers were heartbreaking: I’d wish for a place of my own; for the treatment to work and kill my cancer; a chance to meet my grandchildren.
You don’t have to look far to find brokenness. It’s easy as adults to become numb, or worse, to continue the cycle of hurt. The saying “hurt people hurt people” should not be true of Christians, but all too often it is.
After a heartbreaking situation earlier this year, I prayed God would not let my heart become hard. We need childlike faith. Children don’t understand everything and look to their parents for answers. Children accept the answer even if the answer is, “You don’t need to know that.”
I don’t know what hurts or struggles you’re dealing with, but maybe it’s time to quit fighting, rationalizing, excusing, and pulling the covers over your head. Maybe it’s time to take Christ’s words to heart. He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-30).
When a hurt or scared child hears an invitation to “come,” they don’t hesitate. They dash into the bed or onto the couch or lift their arms to be picked up. Don’t hesitate to let your heavenly Father hold you this Christmas or any time of the year. He’s available and wants a relationship with you. So be a kid and be held.