Expectation > Perfection

Perfection! Ah the glorious thought.

The Perfect Tree.

The Perfect Gift.

The Perfect Movie.

The Perfect Store.

The above are just a few of the things that we say and think around Christmas. Less often said, but certainly in the forefront of many of our minds is whether or not we will be The Perfect (you fill in the blank) for someone else.

Will our picture be perfect – or at least as good as our friends that we just saw on Instagram?

Will our cookies turn out perfect – or at least good enough get a compliment at our work event?

Will our kids be perfect at Aunt Sally’s – or at least not ruin another doily?

The question that is found in these times when we are striving for perfection is will we be enough? Good enough, strong enough, funny enough, engaging enough, or whatever enough that you might can imagine.

Christmas is not about perfection. Christmas is about expectation. Hope has arrived. The king has come. The world has forever been altered. Our lives are being daily altered by the presence of Jesus. Not our abilities or even our efforts but in his faithfulness.

The following are some prayers, crafts, or suggestions for you and your family during this Christmas season. Remember, it is about expectation, the King has come!

Idea 1: Create some space.

Utilize a shelf, a sitting area, or even wall space to serve as a reminder to your family of your expectation of the arrival of God in earth. Have copies of Christmas prayers written and place in a basket/on a shelf/stapled to a bulletin board to allow adults and kids alike to pause and remind themselves of what they are anticipating.

A Sample prayer from Faithful Families: For Advent and Christmas by Traci Smith

During Advent, we wait:

            We wait for Christmas Day.

             We wait to give and to receive.

              We wait for family.

               God, please help us to be patient as we wait and to enjoy the journey together.

Idea 2: Count up.

There are a multitude of ways that the following activity can be completed. The idea is to create a paperchain counting Up (or down if you prefer) to Christmas. Each day someone in the family could write something they are grateful for or something that they have seen that is good in the world or something that is a fond memory, or some way that they have been encouraged by others. Staple the strips of paper together that will create a chain of gratitude leading to Christmas. These could be written down daily or you could get several folks to work together to write it down at one time and then as they are attached daily they will serve as a reminder of God’s faithfulness and goodness.

Daniel Harding

For a list of the resources I am using please click here


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