CoffeeSwirls: Santa Slip Up

From a blog I frequent. I thought it was interesting, so here you go:

Santa has visited our home seven times now, but has moved on to deliver toys to other children. It was one of those, “It’s not you, it’s me” breakups. Ben’s belief in the jolly fat man had been wavering, with increasing questions about him coming forth. Some of his friends had been having the same questions and the time had come to reveal the truth to Ben, so we sat him down and explained that it was Mommy and Daddy all along.
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If you do the Santa thing, you will likely also have the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny and we had all three. As the years progressed, Ben began to ask certain questions that showed that his belief was fading...Ben would ask if these things were real even after years of belief. We’d ask him if he believed in them and he would give a fairly weak response. He said he believed, but it was apparent that he truly didn’t. He had been believing for a couple years through the sheer force of will and that was growing thin.

Adding to this unbelief, Ben started to notice our mistakes. One year, he asked for an item from Santa. Due to a labeling error, he got that item from us and another from Santa. He mentioned that this was funny, but with more than a hint of unbelief. Another example would be when he looked into my top drawer and found the stash of lost teeth. Realistically, I don’t know what we were planning to do with these teeth, but Ben was told that the Tooth Fairy had lots of uses for them. It’s really a bit creepy when you think about it. Ben pushed each of these events, and several others, as far from his mind as he could.

I think to the first chapter of Romans, where Paul makes it clear that people will suppress the truth, no matter how much evidence is placed before them. We can propose any logical argument, make any case, but if a person truly doesn’t want to believe the truth there is no way to force them to do so. That person will look to that which they perceive gives them the greatest reward for the present with no regard for the future. No matter how ridiculous their position is, they will remain with it because they want to remain with it.
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This Christmas, we will celebrate with a reading from the book of Luke and will then open our presents, thanking each other for caring enough to find that perfect gift. When Ben’s eyes light up, he will know for certain that it was his parents who were delighted to give him the best we could offer. And it will be a day made more special because he will be able to hug the givers of the gifts and thank them in person. He is relieved to no longer have Santa in the picture. So am I.

Perhaps this year, after we have read the story of the first advent from the book of Luke we will skip ahead a few chapters and discuss the gifts of our Father in Heaven. Ben has been treated to some of the best gifts we could buy for these years. Perhaps it is time to tie that in with the greatest gift that our Father in Heaven could offer, the righteousness of His son.

Luke 11:13
“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Source (emphasis mine)