A Christmas Story: "Yellow Days" and the Need for a Savior

"Mommy, I think I'm just gonna have a little rest on the way home. I'm tired." Those were the welcoming words I heard from my son as I he got in the car and threw his bookbag to the side. Wanting to "take a rest" is usually translated as, "I feel sick but I'm not going to tell you I feel sick because I will either have to take nasty herbs, get adjusted by the chiropractor, or go to the doctor. None of which I want to do, so I will conveniently lie and say I'm just tired." I asked him if he felt ok to which he responded, "Yep, and in case you're wondering, I really don't wanna talk about school today." Ahhhh. So that's what's gong on. He began explaining to me how he got another "yellow day" at school. This would be the third one since he started the school year. Sure, not terribly bad, but I noticed he wasn't as ashamed of it as he was before. In other words, it was "just" a yellow day. And yes, he even used the illustration of a red-light. "Mommy, yellow is not ALL that bad. It just means sllllooooooow down before it turns Red." Him and that blessed imagination! He was right, but wrong all at once. It's hard to discipline when you want to give credit for the brilliant analogy. But, I was already fuming ,so the cuteness had no appeal at the moment. 

Immediately I start contemplating appropriate punishment. Should I take away his toys? Ground him? Does he even know what "grounded" means? Do I take away T.V.? Maybe he's old enough to use a belt for spankings now? Should I make him miss dinner and go to bed starving at 6pm? I wanted the punishment to be severe. After all, if I don't increase the severity each time, I'd wind up with a 15 yr old destined to go to jail..right?? Its times like these when I start making up frantic, ridiculous scenarios that I'm thankful the Lord is patient with me. I told Owen that we should both just sit silently and pray on the way home. I told him to pray about what happened today and pray God would lead Mommy to make the right decision. I wanted to discipline him the right way, not just out of my emotions....you know, my emotions that kept saying, "how dare he get on yellow?!"... as if little boys should have green days all the days of their school lives. :)  

Approaching home, I start thinking about our Christmas Craft I had planned for that afternoon. I had contemplated taking it away from him. I wanted him to experience ZERO happiness. Even if that meant not doing a craft for Jesus...(does that even make sense?). In my defense, I was angry and couldn't think straight. The craft for the day was to paint/make a stable for Baby Jesus. To talk about why Jesus came into the world. What better scenario to talk about sin and the need for a Savior, than after bringing home a "yellow day?" 

We pulled in the driveway, unloaded our stuff and I sat down with Owen. I started to explain to him what sin was. We talked about what happened in the garden with Adam and Eve. I explained that sin is not just about doing things that are wrong, it's also knowing the right thing to do and choosing not to do it. We talked about his cars, and how they are small toys that are made to look like the big cars. They are made in the image of the real thing. In the same way, we were made in the image of God until sin came in and ruined it. I shared with him that Daddy and I sin just like he does (he liked that part) and we are all in need of someone to take away our sin, and change our desires to be more like God's, someone who is sinLESS. For the first time he began to realize that he is incapable of living a life without sin, a hands-on experience for him to understand why he needed a Savior. 

We ended the talk with a prayer. I told him I would sit with him while he prayed. He chose to pray out loud and I can't tell you how it blessed my heart to hear his little prayer: "Dear God, I love you. I'm sorry for my yellow day. I'm sorry for sin. I hate yellow days and I hate sin. I want you to take it far away from me. In Jesus Name, Amen."  So simple, but so profound.


We got our paint, glitter and stickers out. He sat for what seemed like forever, painting the perfect stable for Jesus, making the star SUPER bright in the sky. He didn't complain about how retarded his animals looked, or how he messed up the hay on the roof. He just kept painting... and I'm betting he painted that scene with much more gratitude in his heart than if he'd had a green day.

You know, it's funny how God works. These past couple of days, while I'm thinking Owen is the one who needs the lesson, we both wind up being the students. He learned about sin and the need for salvation. I learned to put my emotions aside and seek the Lord for wisdom. Its a beautiful picture of the Lord, who loves and guides us like children...because no matter how grown we are...we are still His babies. 

“The gospel is absurd and the life of Jesus is meaningless unless we believe that He lived, died, and rose again with but one purpose in mind: to make brand-new creation. Not to make people with better morals but to create a community of prophets and professional lovers, men and women who would surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within, who would live in ever greater fidelity to the omnipresent Word of God, who would enter into the center of it all, the very heart and mystery of Christ, into the center of the flame that consumes, purifies, and sets everything aglow with peace, joy, boldness, and extravagant, furious love. This, my friend, is what it really means to be a Christian."