SANTA CLAUSE, BABY JESUS AND RICKY BOBBY

Posted byHeather LandPosted inUncategorized

Ahh…all the pretty Christmas lights. Some are as beautiful as a bride on her wedding day. Others…straight up ratchet. You know who you are.  I’ll never have to buy a ticket to the side show again for the rest of my life if you’ll just keep ’em lit year round. Good grief, this is better than seeing Cirque du Soleil live in Vegas. Could you run in the house and make me a funnel cake while I just sit here and watch? It’s mesmerizing. I don’t wanna miss a thing. Hey kids, forget Disney. We’re coming to the Jones’ house every night for a week. It’s way better than the Parade of Lights.

You know what really tips the scale for me this year? Giant Snoopy in a snow globe? No. The drive-thru nativity? Nope. The light-up Santa Clause leaning over baby Jesus in the manger. WHAT, EVEN?!?!?  I am absolutely awestruck by this holy wonder! I recently saw one of these monstrosities in someone’s yard and had to just stop and gawk. They probably thought I was casing their house, but I could not peel my eyes away. My brain is fairly demented so here’s how the conversation went with myself in my head:

What is he saying? What is Santa saying to baby Jesus right now? Is he welcoming Him into the world? You know Jesus was here first, right, Santa? I mean, you’re not even real. Are you asking Him what He wants for Christmas?

“Dear 8 pound 6 ounce newborn infant Jesus…”  Are you asking Him if He’s been naughty or nice? You know He’s not naughty, right? He’s Jesus.

And what is Jesus saying back? If I was baby Jesus I would say something like this:

“Look, Ricky Bobby. I may only be five minutes old, lying here in my golden fleece diaper, but you know I’ve been around awhile, right? God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? You’ve heard of me. Ok, great. So first, I’m gonna need you to back up out of my personal space. And secondly, I’m gonna need you to quit stealing my thunder. It’s my birthday, not yours. Please and thank you. Goodbye. Also, please leave me something besides gold, frankincense and myrrh in my stocking. That’s getting old.”

This whole conversation is disturbing. I know. I’m so sorry. So scary… Anyway, all that nonsense led me to start thinking about some of the ridiculousness that I, myself, bring to Jesus. Now, He loves me. He’s Jesus – patient, kind, loving Jesus. But I wonder if He gets tired of my cynical, self-centered requests? I wonder if He gets tired of my talking to Him like He’s a genie in a bottle? Of course, He never gets tired of us. But we do it sometimes, don’t we?

“Lord, I know you’re busy with real problems and lots of other broken things to fix, but if you could please miraculously change the attitude of my teenager by Friday I would be most appreciative. I will give extra in the offering on Sunday and I will look for one extra person to tell about You in the line at the grocery store. Yours truly…Tired Mom”

“Jesus, look. Here’s the deal. Tennessee football is really struggling this year. If you could help us out, we would sure be obliged. Signed, Volunteer For Life.”

“Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for all Thy many blessings. While You’re up there blessing folks, would you mind causing my sister-in-law, Irma, to come down with the stomach bug so we can just have a peaceful Christmas for once? I know you love her, but Lord…well…we don’t. So, please find it in Yourself to grant me this one wish. If You do, I will never cuss again. Signed, Desperate”

How often do we bring our requests to Jesus as though He is up there with a notepad – “You want what? Hang on and let me grab a pen…. Ok! Got it!” Or, how often do we come timid and afraid?

God wants to give us good gifts. He is our Father. To this day, my earthly father still loves to give me gifts – to see my happy. He gets tears in his eyes when He sees me light up about something that brings me true joy and fulfillment. How much more does our Heavenly Father delight in giving us good gifts!

We don’t have to come to Him like He is the granter of three wishes and only three. There is no having to choose wisely your wishes. There is no tip-toeing. There is no bargaining or bribing. There is no tit-for-tat with Jesus. There’s no fear. Make your requests known to God. He sees and hears. And He knows what we need before we do. We do not have to panic, nor do we have to tread softly. We come like a child to a father – boldly and with confidence that He wants to give us beauty in it’s time. We come trusting that He knows best (the struggle is real). We come to God, our Father – giver of wonderful things. His gifts are so much better than Santa’s (but I don’t know how anybody’s prayer could beat Ricky Bobby’s…)

Published by Heather Land

CEO of I Ain’t Doin It. Master Certified Life Coach. Tennessee girl. Wife. Mama. Cat lady. Enneagram 4. Loves to: light candles, drink coffee, drink wine, write, talk crap, watch The Great British Bake Off and dumb shows on TLC, shop, decorate, travel, eat fancy food, overthink, be real and hang out with authentic people.

96 thoughts on “SANTA CLAUSE, BABY JESUS AND RICKY BOBBY”

  3. I read this while waiting for my daughter to have a medical procedure requiring General anesthesia which they attempted last Monday unsuccessfully due to her aspirating during it. She’s been ill and in the hospital near 3 weeks with no answers. I hope God is taking my prayer requests seriously.

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  6. Love it, love it!! Thanks, Heather for your demented brain– Oh, and, Merry Christmas (without Irma, of course)!

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  8. Heather,
    Funny and thought provoking. Our prayer every day is to be the “light of Christ” for all we meet. Christian, Muslim, Atheist, homeless, hopeless, and helpless. May we all be the encouragement that person needs….in their hour of need. Our daughter Amy, showed us your “Prayer Chain” blog. So true! I believe, GOD gives us all a talent, let’s all use our talent for His glory!
    Take care, be well,
    Michael and Suzanne Riojas

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  10. Heather I love your cute and funny videos but have come to love your spirit even more so. This was funny but also rained truth down on us all! Thank you for the reminder that Jesus does love me and wants what’s best for me, even when I act like a troublesome teenager! 😳

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    1. Funny. Sweet. Touching. True. I smiled.
      I laughed. I cried. I am a Child of the King. I am forgiven. I am thankful and I am h.a.p.p.y.!

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    3. I love you! You make me laugh! God bless you! I own a small Christmas piece that I sit out at Christmas. It is Santa bowing at the manger. I saw it different than you did. I saw that every knee shall bow… even the knees of our ideas & imaginations. Whether individuals are real or fake; in the end, everyone will bow to our Lord & Savior!

      You have a Merry Christmas & I will always be a fan! Hugs!

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    4. On a cold rainy day wrapped in grief a year after my painful loss I cry and smile reading this and for a few minutes I remember that I once wrote something that comforted and made others laugh. I am so glad I found you.

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  16. I just love you! You give me my daily laughter and reminders of how we are all just winging it through this life, trying to walk the straight and narrow but fail daily and are forgiven daily!
    Keep it up friend!

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  22. Heather,

    Thanks for your writing.

    People are missing or ignoring the point because it’s so commercial.

    One Christmas, I would Hope everybody would consider not buying anything and celebrate Jesus’ birth. That’s all.

    Again, thank you Heather.
    Love and Blessings
    Olivia

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  23. This made me cry. I love it so much. Thank you for sharing your faith with us. He is the gift. I have the painting of Santa kneeling at the manger with the title “Every knee shall bow” that I just got myself for Christmas and it just is such a reminder to my whole family. Thanks for making us happy.
    PS come to Utah so I can come see you.

    Kiran

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  26. Sometimes you are just Who and What i needed to hear this day!! Thank You for being You!! Love and Blessings 🙏💞

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  33. Loved it. You have a gift. I look forward to each post. May God Bless you and your Family. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

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  36. Heather everything u do is golden .you have made me laugh till I might or might not have peed a little .you have blessed me beyond words .G-d has given u a great gift there girl. NEVER stop.And you have a beautiful voice and soul as well. I am your newest biggest fan .so thankful I found you .

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  41. Oh my, ain’t that all the truth! Such a great honest read this time of year. Totally relatable and echoes the thoughts of many of us tired mom’s and especially this Glam-ma! ❤❤❤

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  42. You are hilarious and reverent at the same time, hard to pull off, but you do it! Now I’ll be thinking of Ricky Bobby in my nightly prayers😅 Merry Christmas, God bless you and yours, keep us laughing🎄

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  43. Your humor hits home with me so well. Please make a trip to Ohio (Columbus) soon. Many blessing for you and your family this Christmas and all through the new year.

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  49. Ahhh! What a poignant reminder said with the best mix of humor and truth. Thank you for making me laugh and doing a great number on my heart at the same time 😊!

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