Come to the Giver of All Good Things

I never believed in Santa, having had older siblings to set me straight.   For nearly as long as I can remember I have believed in Jesus, having had parents and older siblings to also set me straight.  Even knowing Christmas was all about Jesus, it was terribly kind of Him to allow children to have His gifts.   So, I knew where our Christmas gifts came from, and I knew where they were stored, the tallest shelf in my parent's closet.   As Christmas approached, I spent a great deal of time pouring over the Sears and Roebuck catalog, pencil in hand, to mark what I wanted, sometimes even totaling the costs, depending on my parents to work things out.

Christmas Eve my parents somehow managed to assemble, wrap, and tag all the gifts for their large brood.  The dining room table that they used was fortunately under the heat grate in my brothers' room.   We took turns at the grate trying to see and hear what we could, which was precious little to my parents' credit.  In the wee hours of the morning they would finally fall to sleep on the pull-out couch so they wouldn't have to get out of bed to watch us tear apart a night's worth of work in a remarkably short time.  

One year, I had my heart set on getting a Betsy Wetsy doll, and I was ever so sure that I'd find her under the tree.   A perfectly lovely doll was there instead, but she was no Betsy Wetsy!   Even knowing the source of my gift,  I still presented strange doll to my parents wailing that she wasn't Betsy!    They did their best to console me, and we looked over the doll while they pointed out her attributes; and before Christmas day was over, I had claimed her as my own.  I know now that the doll I got was probably the best they could buy with the money they had.  

Sometimes my prayers are much like my childish Christmas wish lists.   Even knowing the Giver, even knowing how He loves me,  I'm quite capable of treating Jesus like a Santa Claus who has wronged me. I neglect to let God be God, as I expect the universe to revolve around me.  Psalm 37: 4, says to "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."  I have to delight in Him so that His desires become mine.  Even as I write this I want to stamp a rebellious foot.  Oh, to be the child in this picture that is blissfully leaning on the Savior's breast, to be one of the children who come with their heads bowed to receive His blessing, how much better that would be!
 
We can trust our Heavenly Father to give His best.   He did send Jesus after all.