We’ve all seen those photos of a screaming child sitting on
Santa’s lap. In fact, I have one of them.
My daughter was about five years old – and, every Christmas,
she had steadfastly refused to get her picture taken with Santa. While she
would read Christmas stories about him, write him letters, and even set out
cookies by the fireplace, she was terrified by the actual living breathing guy
in the red velvet suit. One year, thinking that we were being clever, my
husband and I took her to Chicago’s Christkindlmarket – a traditional German
festival with small wooden huts and holiday treats for sale.
My husband I learned that one of the huts contained a Santa.
As we strolled through the village, we noticed that there was no one in line.
Casually, we entered the booth – and my daughter came face to face with Santa.
I plopped her on his lap – in what probably was a cruel motherly move – and let
the photographer snap the now treasured photo of my cute little girl screaming
her head off.
My daughter, now 16, has still not quite forgiven me.
You see, she loved the idea of Santa, she just did not want
to meet him up close.
I was thinking about that this frosty December morning, and
realizing that this is how many of my friends view God. They like the idea of
God, but they are terrified by any kind of personal obligation, any type of one-on-one
interaction with the Almighty.
It is true, that an interaction with God can be
intimidating, awe-inspiring, and life changing. Look at Moses, who came back
from seeing God at the top of a mountain. Scripture says “he was not aware that
his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord” (Exodus 34:29) When the Israelites saw Moses, they were
afraid to come near him.
Or Saul, struck blind on the road to Damascus. He was
continuing his self-appointed mission in life – persecuting Christians – when
he was physically struck by God’s presence. “Suddenly a light from heaven
flashed around him…and he fell to the ground.” Scripture says that for “three
days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything” (Acts 9:8,9) From that day on, he was
changed. Once a person who hated Christ followers, he was now himself a
follower of Jesus Christ and a passionate proclaimer of the gospel.
Perhaps my friends are right to worry. What if they truly
acknowledged God and entered His presence? Would their lives ever be the same?
A 1990s alternative rock song, titled “What if God Was One
of Us?” by Joan Osborne asks the question: “If God had a face, what would it
look like? And would you want to see if seeing meant that you would have to
believe in things like heaven and in Jesus and the saints and all the
prophets?”
Osborne ponders the reality of God – our inability our
unwillingness to face that big, awesome, life-changing question, to step into
His presence and to let our lives be forever changed.
If you are someone who likes the idea of God, but who has
never allowed yourself to know Him in a personal way – I challenge you this
Christmas season. As we approach this holy time of the year, open your heart to
an encounter with the Almighty. It is both terrifying and life-changing, but I
promise that you will never be the same.
Comments
I think that's a very interesting analogy you made, if people can go on thinking of Jesus as a fairytale like Santa and never confront the reality of his sacrifice and what it means for our eternity that can pretend the life they live isn't that bad. I totally agree, if the people in the bible who met God never looked the same, also should we exhibit a radical difference in our lifestyle if not appearance when we come to know God.