One of my favorite Christmas memories was the year I wrapped “A Countdown to Christmas” with The Twelve Books of Christmas for my son. Every night before bed, he would unwrap a book and we would read it together. Each book had a different theme and different storyline, but I found myself explaining in each book how Jesus teaches us to do these same things. One of his favorite series when he was young was “Little Blue Truck,” a series about how this little blue truck helps his friends in different situations.
The Christmas version is about the Little Blue Truck delivering Christmas trees to all his friends and then finally there is one left for him in the end. Explaining to a child the importance of sharing is hard enough, but this book not only taught the lesson of sharing with others; it also taught the importance of friendship, community, and how the simplest of acts can spread joy. The Little Blue Truck made sure his neighbors had their perfect tree before he took one for himself. This is an amazing example of what it is to be Christlike. He didn’t need big extravagant gifts or a crazy busy plot; it was as simple as sharing his trees with his neighbors.
This Christmas season, I hope we can all share joy in the form of a simple smile to a stranger or even a kind word to the person behind you in line at the store. Although God works through us in many extravagant ways, He can also use us in the simplest ways to make a big difference.
Taylor Easttom, Downtown Campus Director of Children’s Ministry
