A Sudden Random Thought #4: The Truth About Santa

In the two months I've had this blog, I've had a decent number of ideas for things I've wanted to write about that haven't been posted yet. Some due to time, some to forgetfulness, but there's this one that just eludes me in the most ironic of ways. I would really like to write a post about waiting, what it means to have to just wait, to be patient because that's all you can do, and why that is such a good season of life to go through. Yet every time I feel like writing that post, either a different topic gets laid on my heart that needs to get out first, or when I sit down to write, I just find myself faced with the realization that it's just not the right time yet to write that post....I'm waiting to write about waiting...

So while we wait, I thought I'd write instead about Santa Claus.

Hang on a sec, I gotta throw on some Christmas music for this one....

Ahh. That's better. Vince Guaraldi's, "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Classic.

Tonight as work was wrapping up and things were rendering for my boss (ie: the computer was doing all the work and I had a little time to spare), I dropped by the blog, The Prodigal Jon (written by the same guy who writes Stuff Christians Like, and both are great blogs), and while I can't remember what post I was reading or what it said (I read a few different posts in a row, and now I forget which one struck me with this thought), a random thought hit me: Santa Claus may not be all that he's cracked up to be.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love Santa (I just remembered which post it was :)  ). I always looked forward to his arrival each year, and yet when I found out he wasn't real (my apologies to anyone I just dropped the bomb on...I'll pause a moment while you shed a few tears.....alright, moving on), I didn't have any difficulty accepting it. And will I tell my kids someday that Santa's coming? Probably.

But what I read tonight made me stop and think, are we inadvertently teaching kids a wrong mindset that they may take into their relationship with God someday?

We live in a world of work first, payment later. Do now, benefit after. Which makes sense, for the most part. If someone paid you to do a job before you did it, how motivated would you be to finish that job to the best of your ability, really? You've got the money already, and no more is coming, so wouldn't you just want to get the work over as quick as possible so you could go out and spend what you already made?

But God, I'm realizing, doesn't work like that. His salvation, His love, His grace and mercy, and His forgiveness: they're all free and upfront.

One of the lies I've struggled with most over the years is the thought that, after I've sinned, I needed to make up for it somehow. I had to be good for a long enough period of time for the stain of that sin to really be washed away. I needed to focus more on God, read my Bible more and pray more, in order for things to get better again. I felt like I had to earn the forgiveness, because if I didn't, the guilt and shame might not go away.

But that's not at all the way God works. Just look at the parable of the Prodigal Son (the inspiration behind the blog, The Prodigal Jon, in case that wasn't already obvious) in Luke 15. After demanding his father give him his inheritance, then going off and throwing away the money on wild living, the son comes back home with the intention of asking his father to hire him as a servant. But instead, the father doesn't even let his lost son make the request. At the mere sight of him coming down the road, the father runs to him, throws his arms around him, and starts yelling out instructions for party preparations. This son who was once lost and was now found would not be made to work off his sins, but was welcomed back joyfully without a single question asked, a single demand for repayment made.

And that's how I think God is. When I stumble and fall into sin and turn back to him to ask for His forgiveness, He doesn't respond with instructions for how I can repay Him. There's no waiting period for receiving His grace. The moment I return to Him, He is there, running to me with open arms, a big smile on His face, and tears of joy in His eyes, so happy to see me again. And He throws me a welcome home party. I don't deserve it one bit, but that's who God is.

Is that who Santa is? I was thinking about that tonight, and I realized it's not a good description of Santa at all. Unlike God, Santa's got a list, and he keeps a close watch on it. He knows who's been good and who's been bad, and while he rewards those who have worked hard to be good, he leaves lumps of coal for those who didn't live up to his standards. Work first, reward later. Fail, punishment.

We teach our kids that this person they can't see is watching them, judging them, and if they're good enough, he'll reward them. And I wonder, how many kids subconsciously transfer that mindset into their relationship with God one day, believing that God is like Santa: you can't see Him, but you know He's watching, judging your behavior, and if you're not good enough He's going to punish you with not nice things. When really, that's not who God is at all.

I could go much deeper into this, but the music just ran out and this is probably long enough for a somewhat random thought this evening. Hopefully it made sense, and I'm not trying to say that Santa's a bad guy and we should shun him like...some metaphorical thing that needs shunning (it's getting late). But when the time comes to teach our kids the truth about Santa and his unfortunate non-existence, and at the same time teach them about the Lord and His very real and good existence, I just think it'd be good to be wise about helping our children see the difference between God and Santa so that they won't go through years of life trying to earn what God has already freely given: His love, His Salvation, His grace, His mercy, and His forgiveness.