Dye-A-Blog

I know better than to say that my grandson Tyler is the cutest little boy on the planet. That's what I believe. But I know better than to say it that way. Grandparents everywhere would object. So let me just say that Tyler is one of the cutest little boys ever.
And he's not only knock-your-socks-off cute. He's smart and funny and every time we are together, I think my heart is absolutely going to break with joy.
The boys came to see me Saturday and we had such a good time! They came running out of the car, tearing through the house looking for all their familiar things and discovering the new things I have waiting for them. This was their first visit here since Christmas Day. As those little boys ran from room to room, the house came to life. Energy and exuberance was everywhere.
The Christmas decorations had been put up and that was the first thing Tyler noticed. Now, the holiday decorations for the boys room don't go upstairs in the attic. There's a wide shelf in the boys' big closet. That's where the holiday decorations go. And we take down the decorations with the seasons.
Tyler noticed right away that baby Jesus was on the shelf. And he did not like that one little bit. In my defense, baby Jesus was carefully put up with the manager and all the manger scene figures. But Tyler said, "NO! I want Baby Jesus down here! Here with me, Grammy, here with me!"
He was quite insistent. Jesus should not be on the shelf. He needed Jesus to be with him.
Well, of course, I got Jesus down off the shelf.
And, after Tyler went home, I didn't have the heart to put Jesus back on the shelf. He got me to thinking about how easy it is for us to put Jesus away. It's not that we don't believe in Jesus or that we renounce him...but it is too easy to put him on the shelf. Too easy for life to keep on going with Jesus on the shelf.
Now that Christmas is a month past, where is Jesus in our lives? Packed away on the shelf?