Advent can be an adventure.

This is probably the 3rd year we are counting down to Christmas using an advent calendar with our kids.  This year, I've included a Lego Advent Calendar along with our regular "advent activity" plus a Bible passage reading we're covering this year. 

image from toysnbricks.com

Two nights ago, we put together our Lego "Santa" first.  I did most of it as my daughter whined, "This is boring, this is so boring!" and began reading her own book.  Soon thereafter, it was time to do our activity which was to place the star on the Christmas tree.  As I hoisted my daughter up, she slid from my hands and landed on a Christmas ornament.  It broke in pieces all over the floor, and she grabbed her foot shouting in pain! It was plastic, thankfully,  so no shards were left behind in her foot. After tending to her, vacuuming the floor, and finally sitting down you can imagine how I almost grit my teeth reading the Bible and barked at them to get ready for bed.  Afterwards, I felt like a meanie mom and laughed at myself and the fiasco that was our advent time.

It was that same day that I had hung a wreath outside and because my husband remarked about its awkward positioning on the door, I accused him of being an "annoying micro-manager."  Ouch, that was harsh.

image from art.com

I had to step back and really think about what I was doing and my motivation for all of this "advent stuff."   My desire was to make everything look and feel how I thought it should for Christmas. My aim was not the children's enjoyment, and certainly not for growing their love and knowledge of Jesus.

Today, we put together the foam gingerbread home without event, read some of the Bible passage, and my son assembled the Lego helicopter together by himself.  My attitude is a little different now; I'm reminding myself it's fine if things aren't perfect and if my children aren't perfect because neither am I, and that's the whole reason why Jesus came.  Because we are sinners in desperate need of a Saviour.  And that He works in spite of who we are, and through us anyway, undeserving as we are. Yesterday, after feeling like everything was for naught, my four-year old exclaimed from his dark bedroom, "I read it, Jesus died on the cross, it's true!" several times.  Somehow through the chaos and my sinful behavior, something sunk into his heart.  Even when I think it's about me and my sin and my mistake, God turns it around and makes it about him.  What an amazing and gracious God we have.