I grew up believing that there is such thing as a fat man in a red suit, who we all know as "Santa Claus." I’m sure I’m not alone when I say this. My parents used to put all the toys I wanted under the christmas tree when we were sleeping and wake my siblings and I up the next morning, pretending to be all surprised with us. Alright, maybe it wasn’t the authentic "Dolly Surprise," but it was a pretty good imitation that had me fooled for about two years! Along with finding out that my Dolly Surprise was a "bootleg," I found out that Santa Claus wasn’t real. Instead, my grandfather introduced me to a man named, "God." He taught me how to talk to him every night, before I go to bed. I liked believing in this God guy better than I did with Santa Claus (and still do!). I’ll tell you why right now; God’s physically with me always, Santa’s loooooong-gone, and with God, you get to know yourself a little more. The list goes on, but these are the three major factors I’d like to focus on.

I believed in Santa once a year -- on Christ’s birthday! With God, Christmas or no Christmas, he’s physically within me always. He’s a big part of my everyday routine. I talk to him once in a while, during the day, and of course, before I go to bed. I never had much communication previliges with Santa. The most in contact that I ever had with the fat man was leaving him some cookies and milk, which I don't think he even touched. He thought I wouldn’t notice with all the presents to distract me, but he had me figured out all wrong!

With all the disadvantages, I’m glad I never had to do anything for that Santa anymore. Instead, I became a believer of our most awesome Father. I have to admit that sometimes, I don’t believe in God -- but that’s only temporary. Hey, what can I say? I’m a natural-born sinner, just like Adam and Eve. For some reason, at those times, when I don’t believe in the Lord, he somehow would give me signs that he’s there -- not to shut him out. And that’s when I know "the famous quote" really comes to mind:"The Lord works in mysterious ways."

The Lord does work abstrusively; while you’re getting to know him, you’re also discovering more about yourself than you’ve ever imagined. When I had believed in Santa, preparing the goods for the old guy was gettting too old for me. After receiving the presents from "Santa Claus," I had to wait another year to even recall of his existence. With the Lord, it’s all year-round that you know of his actuality. I figured out that he’s there because of the many blessings he gives me everyday. Maybe he doesn’t have a "Wish List" of yours, but he certainly gives you what you need, not what you want. The Lord knows what’s best for you, so he does what he has to do.

In a nutshell, God’s a better role model than Santa. Can Santa physically be there 24/7 for you?? Can Santa show you that he exists?? Does Santa know what’s good for you?? I think not! It took me five years to figure out that there is no such thing as Santa, and it’ll take me a boundless amount of time to figure out that God does not exists.

The Word | 123001