"That's my Son!"

                               

My son Dan was in kindergarten, and it was Field Day.  The little boys lined up for a race, a whole lap around the big diamond.  They started off, and a few moments later Dan slipped on the gravel lane and fell.  I held my breath.  He jumped up immediately, and darted off down the track again.  A man beside me said wonderingly,  "Look at that little guy. He got right back up and kept going!"  Then I did something I had sworn I'd never do.  I shouted, "That's my son!"  I couldn't help it; in my excitement, it just slipped out.

My dislike of parents crowing over their children like that in front of others wavered just a bit.  Because of what had just happened, I could see why some parents might have reason to do just that. I hadn't realized.

Dan quickly caught up with the others...passed them all...and came to the finish line in first place!  I managed to not say anything else out loud, but I was so proud of him...because he didn't give up. He got up after he fell, continued running, and then won.  

Although on a much, much more incomprehensible scale, our Heavenly Father also calls out to us, "That's my Son!"  And He doesn't just do it out of pride for His Son's accomplishments.  He does it out of love for us! He wants us to SEE Him! His Son ran the race against the enemy, against death, never giving up, and He won!  Accepting this Gift is the best thing that can ever happen to a human being, and THAT'S why God so graciously calls our attention to Him again and again. 

                            Grace-Note
                                                                                                  

Knowing when He sang the awesome anthem of creation   
that our souls would see-saw into question marks
and break His heart,
our Father prepared His answer.        

                                                                                                              

        As our sin soured His music more and more,
        His hand slipped through the folds of Time   
        to leave us a gift-wrapped Grace-note
        be-riboned with Starlight and swaddling clothes.                  

                       

All over, people say, "Let's go to Bethlehem
and see this thing that has happened." *
Some run to reach out for the Gift,
some press cautiously up to the manger.
Some stroll by for a casual glance,
some take a long look...and turn away.
And some, like jealous Herod,
seek to destroy the only way to rewrite Eternity's Song.


                                  The Father looks each one in the eye,
                                   unfathomable love in His own;
                                   looks each one in the heart
                                   and bids him choose;
                                   pleads with each one, as He points to the Gift,
                                   "Won't you open it?  It's for YOU!"
                                                        
    *********************************         (* Luke 2:15)
                                                                                       (Becky Rhon)


    Thank you, Father, for the unmerited, precious, incomparable Gift that You loved us enough to send.  Once again, we run to Bethlehem to "see this thing that has happened"!