Christmas plays

I was almost 30 years before I was in my first Christmas play.
I was pregnant.
I bet you can guess which character I was.

21 years later I am in my second Christmas play.
The difference is last time all I had to do was sit there.
This time I have lines.
A lot of them.
I am playing the mom.
(Imagine that- do you think it was type casting?)

I know the kids will do great.
And even if they mess up their lines the parents and grandparents and friends will still ooh and aah.
I hope the audience is as forgiving with me.
Most of the kids who will be up there have more experience than I do!
The only ones I will beat are the 2's and 3's.

Makes me think about the Christian life.

We tend to be more tolerant of youngsters who make mistakes than we are of adults.
We often assume that adults have all kinds of experience (and most do, just not always Christian experiences) and if they mess up we are quick to judge them, sometimes harshly.

I suggest we begin to look at one another as children,
God's children,
and when one of us messes up we encourage rather than judge.

Let's give one another a break, remembering that being an adult does not guarantee experience on the stage of Christianity.

Let's enjoy the experience and encourage every one who is willing to put themselves "out there", regardless of their age.

I think that if we do that,
our Father, who is on heaven,
will be pleased.