My fourth grader made it into the finals at his elementary school spelling bee, which meant we were studying a lengthy list of spelling words for the first few weeks of December. Words were given at random times, such as waiting in check-out lines, while driving to the dentist, and through the phone. Erin was also recruited to help testing spelling words.
I’ll be honest, the words started blurring together over the days of helping prepare for the spelling competition. We started getting creative and silly with the process. If Kambell said he was hungry, I’d start to give him food related words that weren’t even on the list. If I started a to-do list, he would start spelling items that needed to be on the list. We spelled animals, neighbor names, places we’d like to travel…anything was fair game for spelling.
And then one morning my son suggested we spell Christmas words. I started by giving him the word “Present” followed by the word “Candy-cane.” He said the word, spelled the word, then repeated the word in both instances. As I was thinking about the next word he looked at me and said, “I was thinking more of Christmas words like Jesus, Manger or Bethlehem.”
It’s at this point that the judgey-side-eyes should be headed my way.
In the midst of strange COVID related 2020 shenanigans, I was not focused on the truest meaning of Christmas. It took a 9-year-old to remind me. For real, y’all! My son straight schooled me on which words should be the true Christmas words!!!
It took that conversation to re-focus me on the intent of this season. The remembrance of the birth of our Savior. The truest and most precious gift ever given to any of us by our Lord. Give yourself the gift of remembering why we celebrate Christmas and share that gift with those around you who may not know Christ.
I pray that in the next couple days leading to Christmas 2020, you are able to have time to reflect on that gift and what it means in your life. I’m praying we see a mighty movement of new believers as a result of the sharing of the Gospel. And I’m praying health and wellness for all of the Iron Porch family.
Merry Christmas!
~Emily
John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Iron Porch 