“What do you want for Christmas?” When I was little, that was a big question. What do I want for Christmas? In the weeks before, I would painstakenly look at every TV commercial and every toy catalog that I could find so I would know the answer. And then we would go to the department store and stand in line to see Santa so that I could be sure and tell him what I wanted for Christmas. (Of course, everyone knew that the department store Santa was only a helper–after all, the REAL Santa was up at the North Pole directing things.) I was truthfully a little afraid of Santa. You had to step up to this massive Santa-throne and then sit on this strange man’s lap. He was always a little sweaty too. (But, of course, I guess if you had to wear a heavy fuzzy suit, big boots, fake beard, and sit under the photographer’s light for all those hours in the muggy Houston December, you’d be sweaty too!) But, the important thing was that Christmas morning, I would wake up and there it would be–the thing I wanted most, the thing my heart desired, the thing without which I thought I could not live–there it was under the tree!

As an adult, most of us don’t know how to answer that question. What do I WANT? Well, truthfully, I hadn’t really thought about it. I guess whatever you want to give me. Sure, there are things I’d like; a repaired and healthy economy so that everyone had a job would be nice; or, if you’re really asking, how about peace on earth? How about no hunger or homelessness? How about an innate respect for each other’s lives? How about everyone being aloud to do and be what God calls them to? Yeah…those would make nice gifts. But, sadly, they probably won’t be under the tree on Christmas morning. I think back to my childhood. It seemed that all I had to do was desire something in my deepest being and it would be there.

Why CAN’T we do that as adults? What do you desire in the deepest part of your being? It’s God. Deep in us, past all of the greed and fear and prejudices and pre-conceived notions in our lives, is a deep and abiding desire for God. And interestingly enough, when we desire God, God comes. There it is–the thing I want the most, the thing my heart desires, the thing without which I cannot live–God comes when we desire God. Won’t Christmas morning be a glorious thing?

So go forth and desire God!

Grace and Peace,
Shelli