Name:	LonghornBoater -	Reply
Subject:	The Christmas Pageant
Date:	12/4/2012 10:23:48 AM

THE CHRiSTMAS PAGEANT

My husband and i had been happily married (most of the time) for 

five years but hadn't been blessed with a baby.

i decided to do some serious praying and promised God that if he would give 

us a  child, i would be a perfect mother, love it with  all my heart
and raise it with His word as my guide.

God answered my prayers and blessed us with a son.

The next year God blessed us  with another son.

The following year, He blessed us with yet another son. 

The year after that we were blessed with a daughter.

My husband thought we'd been blessed right into poverty. We now had 

four children, and the oldest was only four years old.

i learned never to ask God  for anything unless i meant it As a minister once 

told me, "if you pray for rain, make sure you carry an umbrella."

i began reading a few verses of the Bible to the children
each day as they lay in their cribs.. 

i was off to a good start. God had entrusted me with four children and
i didn't want to disappoint Him.

i tried to be patient the day the children smashed two dozen eggs on
the kitchen floor searching  for baby chicks.

i tried to be understanding when they started a hotel for homeless frogs in the 

spare bedroom, although it took me nearly two hours to catch all twenty-three frogs.

When my daughter poured ketchup all over herself and  rolled up in a blanket to see
how it felt to be a hot dog, i tried to see the humor rather than the mess.. 

in spite of changing over twenty-five thousand diapers, never eating a hot meal 
and never sleeping for more than thirty minutes at a time,
i still thank God daily for my children.

While i couldn't keep my promise  to be a perfect mother - i didn't even come close...
i did keep my promise to raise them in the Word of God. 

i knew i was missing the mark just a little when i told my daughter we were going 
to church to worship God, and she wanted to bring
a bar of soap along to "wash up" Jesus, too.

Something was lost in the translation when i explained that
God gave us everlasting life, and my son thought it was
generous of God to give us his "last wife."

My proudest moment came during the children's
Christmas pageant.

My daughter was playing Mary, two of my sons were shepherds and my youngest 

son was a wise man. This was their moment to shine.

My five-year-old shepherd had practiced his line, "We found the babe 

wrapped in swaddling clothes." 

But he was nervous and said,  "The baby was wrapped in wrinkled clothes." 

My four-year-old "Mary" said, "That's not 'wrinkled clothes,' silly.

That's dirty, rotten clothes."

A wrestling match broke out between Mary and the shepherd and was stopped 

by an angel, who bent her halo and lost her left wing. 

i slouched a little lower in my seat when Mary dropped the doll representing
Baby Jesus, and it bounced down the aisle crying,  "Mama-mama." 

Mary grabbed the doll, wrapped it back up and held it tightly as
the wise men arrived.

My other son stepped forward wearing a bathrobe  and a paper crown,
knelt at the manger and announced, "We are the three wise men,
and we are bringing gifts of gold, common sense and fur."

The congregation dissolved into laughter, and the pageant
got a standing ovation. 

"i've never enjoyed a Christmas program as much as this one,"
laughed the pastor, wiping tears from his eyes 

"For the rest of my life, i'll never hear the Christmas story without
thinking of gold, common sense and fur."

"My children are my pride and my joy and my greatestblessing," i said as i dug
through my purse for an aspirin.

Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.

Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.

Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.

Had no army, yet kings feared Him.

He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.