I read an interesting piece in the Metro the other day (for those outside London the Metro is the free newspaper distributed to commuters on their morning journey into London, let's just say it's not high brow journalism!) Anyway, this story was of a more unusual wish list a young girl had written to Santa! The thirteen year old girl warns Father Christmas that he will be killed if he fails to deliver at least two of her long list of gifts, which include a Blackberry phone and the real life Justin Bieber. The letter goes on to state that she will hunt down Old Nick's reindeer so she can cook them and serve them to homeless people on Christmas day. The note ends, remember two of these or you die! Remarkably her mother who found the letter said 'When I first found the letter I thought it was funny, now I think I'd better get her what she wants. The last thing I want is for her to kill Santa!'
It's an extreme piece of journalism I know and obviously constructed in a way to generate headlines and to shock. But it did get me thinking about the strength of the desire in that young girl and where it came from. It also got me thinking what is it that I really want this Christmas, and what is it that I want that bad? Now there is nothing wrong with desire. I think it was C S Lewis who stated that the problem isn't our desires it's that we desire too little, (I'm sure Kruger can put me right if I've misquoted that.) I think Lewis went on to make the point that when it comes to desire, our problem is that we settle for playing around in the slums making mud pies, when God has offered us the equivalent of 5 star holidays at the beach in Cape Town! (I'm taking liberty there as I'm not sure Lewis ever made it to Cape Town)
I guess if we were going to offer wise counsel to this misguided young girl, we would see a strong determined person with a healthy dose of desire but focused in the wrong place. If only we could point her to something that is worth desiring that much but will ultimately satisfy!
Bible
But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. John 4:14
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. John 10:10
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14
It's a challenge for us at Christmas when we are often asked what would you really like this year? And maybe we don't want stuff, but we want success, or recognition, or a certain relationship. It's easy for us to look down at the crass materialism of that young girl, but can we say that what we long for with such intensity is the One who can satisfy? Hopefully we can see that at Christmas we are being offered a gift far better than any list we can dream up, and hopefully we will have the faith to receive such a gift.
Prayer
Lord Jesus we are so easily satisfied with things that do no really satisfy. So often we are no different to those with long lists of gifts that they want at all cost. We pray that we would see that the gift that you are truly offering us this Christmas, is what we really need and want. Fill the God shaped hole in our lives with your presence and the joy and peace that passes understanding. Amen
Steve
for
Kruger
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