This post comes with a PG certificate

It is really amazing how well our kids know us. Last week I was asked to be Father Christmas for the toddler group that meets in the church where I have my office, this was a great privilege although I didn’t think my waistline had expanded that much! It was a great time, all the parents secretly bring a small gift leave it in a sack out of the way and then towards the end of the session Father Christmas turns up and sits in a circle with al the children and hands out the presents. As you would expect I had the full garb on, including a huge beard that covered up most of my face bar my eyes, the hat came down to just above my eyes, and a coat shoved inside the jacket to make the earlier mentioned waistline more appropriate for the character, I’m note sure I would have recognised myself. I walked into the room with two large sacs of toys with a loud Ho Ho Ho, and then my two year old announces to the room, “that’s my daddy”. We had not told him I was going to be doing this, he had not seen me in the costume before, I had disguised myself quite well and put on a deeper voice than usual, yet he knew it was me, even from a distance. Whilst I hope he didn’t therefore spoil the affect for the other children, I find it quite pleasing that there is obviously something about me that he recognised, how well do you have to know someone the be able to do that, how do you get to know someone that well with out spending time and loving that person, Jonah you light up my life.
And as a little spiritual application, just as despite doing everything in my power to hide the true me, yet Jonah just knew, how great it is (although sometimes scary as well) to think that no matter how well we try and hide ourselves from God, or even from ourselves, He always knows who we truly are, sometimes we even manage to fool ourselves with the disguises we try and put on but it doesn’t work with God and no matter ho much we try and hide He will always see us as His……!

God bless you this Christmas time.