Don’t you love children’s letters to Santa. One little boy wrote, “Santa if you brining presents with batteries bring the batteries.” That sounds like a child who has had to wait in the past for his parents to do a rush trip to a store before he could play with his toys.
One little girl wrote, “You better bring my pony this year. Or there will be consequensis.” She even drew the pony and everything so Santa could get it right.
But my favorite is one I read a few years ago and shared with The Way congregation at the time. “Dear Santa, there are three little boys who live at our house. There is Jeffrey; he is 2. There is David. He is 4. And there is Norman; he is 7. Jeffrey is good some of the time. David is good some of the time. But Norman is good all of the time. I am Norman.”
Norman is good all the time. I have never been a ‘Norman.’ In fact, I have almost always been a ‘Norman-opposite.’ I have seldom been good. Growing up I was the one who was in trouble all the time. My younger brother, Mike, was more a ‘Norman’ than I was. That did not always serve him well since it often drove me to get him in trouble or blame him for what I had done. (Thankfully, he still loves me, and I was able to make up for some of the things I did to him long ago!)
One day, I will stand before God. And I will give an account of my life. “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” [Romans 14:12 HCSB]
When that moment happens, I will not be able to claim I am a ‘Norman,’ who is ‘good all the time.’ Neither will I be able to “make up” some of the bad stuff with good stuff like I did with my brother.
But I will be able to claim something even more remarkable … I have placed my trust in Jesus! Hallelujah! Amen!
