The Tenth Day of Christmas by Jason Dearing
Have you ever acted like a zebra at church before? Maybe a monkey? A butterfly?
If you’ve attended Hillside for any length of time, you’ve probably seen our Kidzone kids get dismissed to their classrooms with a fun challenge: leaving the main room as a particular type of animal. Sometimes the idea comes from the adult leading announcements, and sometimes a child gets to decide. Whatever the creature, I dare you not to smile and join in the energy as the kids parade past! Their innocence and joy are infectious.
As a volunteer in our Kidzone ministry (ages 3-5), I can assure you—the energy doesn’t stop once the kids leave your sight. They bounce down the hall (hopefully) into their proper classrooms, hands immediately reaching for the new and exciting things they’ll learn that day. Friends reunite, new ones are made, and Kidzone becomes a hub of activity and joy.
Our classrooms are also full of emotions—mostly happy ones, but not always. Toys are coveted and sometimes taken, crayons envied, glue sticks become messy, crafts don’t always go as planned, and games can lead to accidental bumps and bonks. Feelings get hurt, and as volunteers, we’re often comforting little ones and helping them navigate their emotions and interactions. Spend any amount of time with young children, and you’ll quickly find yourself acting as a counselor, mediator, or repair-person.
It’s easy as adults to think we’re there solely for the kids—that we’re the ones guiding and teaching them. After all, we’re the ones wearing the Kidzone volunteer badges, right?
But have you ever apologized to a child?
As a father of three daughters, one of the biggest surprises in parenting has been the number of times I’ve needed to apologize to my children. Maybe I spoke more harshly than I should have, made a wrong assumption about a situation, or didn’t realize how special a drawing was before throwing it out (even if it had been under the couch for months!).
Apologies can be messy, uncomfortable, and sometimes even counterproductive if done poorly. They can feel like there’s a “winner” and a “loser.” If you wait too long, the facts get blurry, and the stories in our minds take over. You might feel resentment for being the first to apologize, or you might go through the motions without truly letting go of anger.
Children, however, have an incredible capacity to forgive. Not the kind of forgiveness that picks sides or looks for payback, but the kind that gives a quick hug, looks the other person in the eye, and offers to start fresh with a new game or shared toy. Their forgiveness is Christ-like—pure, unencumbered, and without strings attached.
This Christmas season, I’m reminded that God didn’t send His Son as a fully grown adult, a teenager, or even a child. He sent Him as a baby. A baby who likely threw food on the floor, grabbed a friend’s crayon, or cried when His feelings were hurt. Jesus experienced emotions and relied on His earthly parents and community to console, guide, and nurture Him. Through this child, God poured out His forgiveness for each of us.
As you reflect this Christmas, consider God’s incredible gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus. Watch the children around you—they might be showing you the way to forgiveness. May God bring to mind someone in your life who needs your forgiveness, and may you be bold, like a child, to offer it freely and without conditions. May you experience the peace that only God can provide when we live like Jesus.
You can find a downloadable PDF of this reflection here.
Each day, a new reflection will drop here. We hope you enjoy them and reflect upon, experiencing the presence of Christ in this season.