The real Reason of the Season!

December always brings the hustle and bustle of the upcoming holiday - my favorite holiday - Christmas. It's very easy to get wrapped up in the commercialized way of Christmas and lose the TRUE meaning of the Season. The world has tried really hard to make it more difficult for those of us that are trying to teach our children the real reason of the season. 

It can be done!  

I am reminded of the verse (which can be applied in MANY different aspects of life)...

Proverbs 22:6: Train up a child in the way he should go: 

and when he is old, he will not depart from it. 

This has been my constant prayer since having children...and I have at times replaced the word "child" with "myself". Not only do I need that constant reminder to not forget the morals, teachings, etc that were instilled in me as a child, but I also think of our children. What way do we want our children trained? What example am I giving them? Am I living "the ways" and being a good example? It's funny, I remember hearing this verse, but never really gave it much thought until being blessed with our own children.

As the girls get older I worry more and more about...

What is this world coming to?

Do I want to continue to bring more children into this sin filled world?

Do I want to home school my children to somewhat protect them?

I don't want them learning a lot of things that are out there now.

Did my parents worry about this stuff as much as I'm worrying about it now?

What was is like for them to raise us?

It sure seems there is a lot more sin in this world now than there was "back then".  
Or has it always been there, but I never noticed b/c I didn't have a care in the world?

Christmas really brings it all back to me. It's becomes more clear every year... Especially when reading this story to our loved ones. I love seeing the innocence of their little minds in trying to grasp this story.
But... 
do they fully understand/grasp the true meaning of the "Christmas Story"? How can we teach it to them (train them up) so they fully understand/grasp it all?

 Christ was to be brought into this world, in a lowly manger to the only people that God saw fit.
What was it like for Mary?
Was she terrified when the angel Gabriel came to visit her?
What was it like for Joseph?
What's it like to be 9mo pregnant and riding a donkey on non-paved roads?
What was it like giving birth...in a barn?
Did the Inn keeper fully understand what was happening? 
What do you think the Shepherds thought?
Were the Wise Men viewed as being "different" for searching out Christ?  
How long did it really take them to find Christ?
Did they actually believe or did their scientific thoughts/ways "get in the way"? 

Questions that not only I have asked, but that they have asked or will be asking someday. 

Can I train them up in the right way? 
 
We all know that God knew the bigger picture. 
Christ would come to us as a babe,
wrapped in swaddling clothes - and placed in a manger. 
An innocent child.
He would live that perfect life and die on the cross for
our sins - so we have that HOPE of eternal
life with HIM.

So, in the hustle and bustle of the season, my continued prayer is to...
Train up a child in the way he should go: 

and when he is old, he will not depart from it.