All I Want for Christmas...

The caller who was moving in with her boyfriend and moving into our school district, was inquiring if her daughter could be accepted into my Girl Scout troop. “And oh, by the way, did you happen to know anyone who could provide child care for my two elementary-aged children an hour before and an hour after school?” she said.

My husband was out of the country, so my children and I discussed the possibility. We could certainly use the extra money to help pay for music lessons. Although we didn’t agree with the choices this family was making to live together before marriage, we could model for them what it is like to be in a Christian family. After considerable prayer and batting the idea around for days, we decided that, even if it didn’t work out, we could stand anything for six months until summer vacation.

Surprisingly, we all enjoyed each other. The arrangement worked so well we continued it the following fall. The children joined us each morning around the kitchen table for devotions, and soon were participating as much as my own three. That fall, while at the breakfast table, they both prayed to receive Christ into their lives.

About the same time, the fifth-grade students were assigned a “Me Project,” a term paper on themselves, their family and culture. Many of the students wrote about their baptisms or confirmations. The fifth-grader we babysat was unchurched and had not had these experiences. Soon her mom was asking if the children could come to our church and learn about baptism. She wondered how much it would cost financially to visit. Before long the kids were attending every other week with their mother, or whenever they were not at their dad’s house. They began going to other activities like Pioneers, neighborhood Bible club, and church camp.

It began to bother my five-year-old daughter that “the boyfriend” was not attending church along with his new family. Our family had grown fond of him as he  lingered to chat when he picked up the children on his way home from work.

One afternoon shortly before Christmas, Meredith met the boyfriend (let’s call him Tom) at the door, and with her charming smile asked if he would come to church with us on Christmas Eve. He graciously accepted her invitation. Tom began to attend church irregularly, yet often brought along his extended family members.

The living arrangements of our friends also bothered my tenacious Kindergartner, and one afternoon I heard her ask Tom when he was going to ask his girlfriend to marry him. A few months later the couple became engaged and asked my husband to perform the ceremony. Mark spent many weeks with them in premarital counseling explaining salvation, man’s response, and the importance of building a marriage on the foundation of Christ’s love.

I wish I could say that this couple became Christians before they were married. Not so. They attend church infrequently. But for now we are thankful that two out of four have accepted Christ and trust the Lord will continue to draw the parents to Himself. When the Lord sent us from Milwaukee to Kansas City I was reluctant to go, wondering who would follow up with these friends who had become so dear to us. But their story isn’t finished yet. On a recent trip to Milwaukee, a friend told me she was having a Bible study with the mom! My heart rejoices that God heard and answered our prayers for someone to reach out to the parents of these young converts.

What do I want for Christmas this year? The boldness of a five-year-old to invite unbelieving friends into my life, to church, and to tell them of the love of Jesus. Matthew 5:14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”