Day 13 & 14-Advent Calendar

Over the weekend we spent some time reflecting. I know that everything going on hasn't totally sunk in with Marianna, and that's okay. The reason I am doing the types of things I am is so that I can do them with the girls, even before they totally understand what's going on (certainly the case with Adrienne) in hopes that as they grow up, giving at Christmas will be as natural as getting. Jesus will take center stage and Santa will be a fun side game. I expected that some things would go right over their heads, but I'm a firm believer that kids pick up on more than you think they will, so I want to go ahead and lay it all out there and leave it up to God how much they can actually absorb (which again, in Adrienne's case is little more than love, but I hope she is getting that in big doses!). So, over the weekend we tried to spend a lot of time thinking about the kids we've had the chance to meet, and the things we have the opportunity to do so far. I have been praying for all of them myself, but I really tried to incorporate that with Marianna when the opportunity presented itself, helping her to remember that when God places people in our lives, we need to pray for them often.

I also was able to find an advent calendar that we can make just by printing it off and coloring or painting the ornaments to go on the tree. I know we're already half way through the month, but I'm still going to give it a try and hopefully get them all on there by doing two or three a day. I got the idea from the advent calendar my in-laws have at their house. Each time Marianna goes over she gets to hang all of the ornaments on the tree up through that day, and each ornament represents something about Jesus. For example, a crown ornament represents that Jesus is the King. A candle represents Jesus is the light of the world. I want to try and do something similar with our paper tree by having a verse that corresponds with each ornament. Hopefully by Christmas I'll be able to show you a picture of a very decorated Advent Tree, with each ornament representing some time we spent each day learning about how Jesus is the center of Christmas. If you have small kids and want to try this out, download the pictures below and blow them up in a word document, then print them out!



Here is today's verse from John 1:9-14 that talks about Jesus being the LIGHT in Christmas.

"That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world...He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:.. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

Everyone may not "get" Christmas, but for those who do, God gives the ability to behold Jesus in all of His glory. I pray that is the case for each of us this Christmas!