There’s something about the beauty of Christmas decorations that just makes me feel good. Most of my Christmas items have a sentimental aspect to them so it’s like pulling old friends out as I empty the boxes. But there’s one decoration that’s made me laugh for the past couple of years as I’ve set it on the table in the foyer. Let me explain why…
Many years ago, when my sons were young, we went to a Christmas show. It was a treasure trove of handcrafted items and Christmas décor. In one of the shops, there was a cute little scene with bears and a flickering fire where they “roasted” their marshmallows. It was adorable, but expensive.
On our drive home, I decided we could recreate the scene, so the boys and I got busy. They gathered small rocks and twigs outside. We bought a flicker-flame light bulb and made our campfire. I found a small canoe, a miniature tree, a mirror to replicate a lake, and two bears in sweaters and fishing hats. I glued sticks with marshmallows onto the bears, and it looked remarkably like the scene we’d seen at the show. We set it up in the foyer and surrounded the bears with snow.
My boys loved it, and it’s sat on that hall table every Christmas since then, for the past 15-20 years. Now that our grandchildren (aged six to 18-months) have arrived, they enjoy it as well. And that’s what led to an interesting moment two years ago when my granddaughter, Ava, was two.
We’d finished opening Christmas gifts when Ava walked into the kitchen and said, “Uncle Tim, I ate the marshmallow.”
“Marshmallow?” he said. “Show me what you ate.”
She led him into the foyer and pointed to the bear scene. Yes, she’d eaten the prehistoric marshmallow off one of the sticks, one that was at least 15-20 years old.
Tim came into our family room and shared the story, and we laughed until our stomachs were sore. I said, “Baby, didn’t it taste bad?”
She replied with great emphasis, “Yeah, it did.” Oh my, such a funny moment!
But it also made me think of something. I had a bag of fresh marshmallows in our snack drawer. All Ava had to do was to wait a minute and ask for some, and I’d have fixed her a bag filled with them—but she settled for something that wasn’t nearly as good.
And we do the same as Christians. We see things that attract our attention, and we go for it, and often they are situations that aren’t the best for us. We neglect to wait on Him, to ask God if He has something better or if it’s His will for us.
Sweet friends, don’t accept second-best—whether it’s finding a spouse, a new job or making a financial decision. Ask Him for what you want or need, and then wait on God. You’ll never regret that. Don’t settle for the equivalent of a prehistoric Christmas marshmallow when He might have something far better—and fresher—waiting for you.
Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD. (Psalm 27:14)
