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By Betsy Ore Glass

For it by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. – Ephesians 2:8

I notice that children are extra good in the weeks leading up to Christmas. It’s the belief, helped by us parents, that Santa will look kindly on them if they behave, get good grades, make their beds and more. When my kids were small, this belief worked very well for us! Their bedrooms were never more clean, lots of yes ma’am and sirs and not a thought of backtalk or sass! Santa would have been good to them anyway, I am sure, but it was nice to have him checking his list to see if they were “naughty or nice.”

While we believe that our relationship with Santa is conditional, our relationship with God, our Father is not. It is the purest, unconditional love that exists. We can do nothing that would cause Him to walk away from us. While we may disappoint him, make him sad or bring Him great joy, His love for us is because He is merciful and grants us grace. We can’t earn God’s love by good deeds. He loves us anyway. Yes, He loves when we are kind and reflecting His Love towards others but not because of what we do but whose we are . . . His!

We’ve got the month of December to make a difference. It’s a start. Let the close of the year 2020 mean something great. To make this Christmas about Jesus. To right our hearts by being more godly and less like the world. Be a Santa to someone. Take a meal, drop off cookies, offer some money, give a hug, listen, share, but do all things in His love. God knows our true heart. If it is not in right order, now is the time to make it so.

Betsy Ore Glass has long-standing ties to the Outer Banks. From Virginia Beach, her family bought a vacation cottage in the 60s and her love of the area began. Later in the 90s, Betsy and her husband bought a weekend cottage and introduced the area to their children. Then Betsy’s parents retired to KDH where the family gathered often. Reach her at betsyglass1@gmail.com or read additional Reflections at www.betsyoreglass.com.

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