#Unity Girl's Guide to #Advent Day 2: Advent for Kids (or the Kid in all of us)

Unity Advent Day 2: Advent for Kids (or the Kid in all of us)

This year is the first year I am using a Advent Calendar with my children to count down the days until Christmas. This year we were given a Peanuts advent calendar, with Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the whole gang (Thanks Titi!). One thing I love about it is that each day during advent, you open a little square it provides an activity for you to do. So I will be sharing those activities with you here on this blog in the hope that you will find them helpful in preparing your heart and spirit for the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ.

Children's Advent Calendars are really for the kid in all of us. I would encourage you to go and get one, kids or not and begin the fun of opening a new door every day. I believe that we should all become as little children as we begin to prepare for Christmas. This is something that Jesus himself advocated.

Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. - Matt 18:3-5

In this passage Jesus is reminding the disciples not to dismiss away little children, as they posses qualities that reflect the kingdom of God. Notice the last line: Whoever receives one little child LIKE THIS in my name, receives me... Do you think Jesus could have been also referring to those of us who have become like children and humbled ourselves before God when he talked of "receiving one little child"? Do you think it is possible that Jesus meant that we as Christians must receive each other as children of God, instead of fight each other as if we had nothing in common? Maybe that we need to recognize children of God and accept them as opposed to dismiss them as if they were bothersome or didn't matter. In some Christian churches I have attended, I have felt like a little child being shuffled into a corner and asked to sit quiet and behave, not to disturb the "adult time" that the elders in the church held sacred. In the end, I left those churches never to return. I sought after a church(and people) that were themselves humbled and like a little child. Here are some of the characteristics I was looking for:

1. Fearless: Children are fearless. They know, somehow that everything will be ok and that they will be take care of.
2. Trusting: A little child trusts its parents to be there, to comfort, care and provide for every need. Trust shows up in how a church (or person) acts when things get tough.
3. Questioning: Children are always wanting to know more, and my favorite, to know why. What happens to a soul that stops asking??
4. Enthusiastic: Children can become enthusiastic about almost anything, mommy walking through the door, a new book, an extra 5 minutes "swimming" in the tub. Imagine what our walk with God would look like if we had this level of enthusiasm for everything we did, in his name.
5. Forgiving: A child does not hold grudges, or stay mad or angry for any extended period of time. Their heart is forgiving and forgetful. Allowing them to be happy in each and every moment.

I strive to be more like this every day. I challenge you to look at these characteristics and see how your spiritual life reflects them. What actions can you take to become more fearless, trusting, questioning, enthusiastic, and forgiving?

Take Action!
Today's "little child" activity is to make paper snowflakes and hang them all over your cubicle, home or office :) In case you have forgotten how to make them, I added a few references:

Paper Snow Flakes
http://www.papersnowflakes.com/
http://highhopes.com/snowflakes.html

so FUN!!

Love,
UnityGirl

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.
Mother Teresa