5 ¶ Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Colossians 4:5 (NKJV)
By Bro. John L. Cash, “Country Preacher Dad”
When my sons were little boys, about 6 and 3-years-old, we took them to the mall to see Santa Claus. Spencer, being the oldest, took the first turn at sitting on jolly old St. Nick’s lap. When asked what he wanted for Christmas, Spencer uttered a single request: “Buzz Lightyear.”
Then it was little Seth’s turn to climb up on Santa’s lap. And when asked what he wanted for Christmas, Seth also uttered a single request: “Buzz White-Weer”.
Now, I have thought about this a thousand times, and Seth’s answer always strikes me as hilarious. Seth was so little he didn’t even know who or what “Buzz Lightyear” was. Seth just knew that he thought his older brother was the coolest person on the planet. So, what Spencer wanted, Seth wanted, too. Really, what Seth told Santa he wanted for Christmas was “what Spencer just said.”
I’ve always heard that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I believe that statement is true. Isn’t it sweet when someone thinks enough of us to want to have the same thing that we have, or even to be exactly like we are?
And I believe this impulse, the desire to have the thing our beloved has, leads to the most wonderful kind of evangelism. Think about how you came to believe the Gospel. Did a stranger hand you a tract, or were you attracted to the Lord by what you saw of Him in the life of someone that you admired?
If you’re like most people I know, you wanted to become a Christian because of the qualities you saw in a person you loved. You “caught” your faith from a person who loved you and loved the Lord and who lived in such a way that their faith made life beautiful.
Dear mama, did you know that faith is both “taught” and “caught”? Take time to use the events of this holy season to teach your babies about what God did for us all in Bethlehem’s manger. And ask the Lord to make your life a lovely example of Christian virtue, that your faith may be so joyful that it’s contagious. May our light shine so brightly that our little ones will say, “I want to have the same!”
Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad.” He was raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and is in the middle of his 25th year of being a country preacher in the piney woods five miles south of the little town of Hickory, Mississippi. He and his lovely wife, Susan, and his sons, Spencer (age 18) and Seth (age 15) live in the parsonage next door to the Antioch Christian Church (where the church-cats, Marvin and Sister, think that the Cashes have set up the Christmas tree solely for their entertainment). You should write him at extramailbox@juno.com.
