Christmas Eve Promises

12/24/2024

My husband and I have a secret candy drawer in our home now, a recent addition.

I found a little side table on a day trip we took a few months ago; it matched my office furniture perfectly, being from the same maker. Delighted, I refinished the table and set it up in our living room.

The little table has a tiny drawer on the front which is too small to store anything significant. But it reminded my husband of his mother’s candy drawer, a semi-secret feature of “Grammie’s” home that delights family and visitors alike. He suggested we fill our little drawer with candy and then wait to see how long it took our children to find the treasure.

I dutifully purchased some of the children’s favorite candies and set them inside the drawer when no one was looking. When they returned home, I gave them a "prophetic promise": There is a treasure hidden away for you. Do you notice anything new in the house?

The promise captured our children's interest immediately but their searches were short-lived. They noticed the table right away but didn't think much of it; they did not fully inspect it to see what was inside the drawer. It amazed me that the tiny “inheritance” I had promised them could be so close, hidden in plain sight! Yet they did not seek long enough to find.

A few more days passed and as any eager parent would, I longed for them to find the treasure I’d hidden in the drawer. My joy did not want to be contained! What could I do to encourage them to seek further?

I asked at dinnertime a few nights later whether anyone had located the hidden treasure in the house. This renewed their interest once again, but sadly, a few obligatory sweeps through the rooms downstairs led only to another failed attempt and they returned to their computers and friends.

On Christmas Eve, I woke up realizing that the candy drawer was a parable revealing the heart of God towards His own family. How eager the Father is for His children to receive their full inheritance! He delights to reveal His goodness to each one. Yet He longs for us to search out with perseverance the mystery of what He promises: all the beauty of Christ in us, hidden in God.

How often have I looked directly at Christ, I wondered; touched and worshiped Him even, yet failed to apprehend the secret of His extravagant goodness towards me? How often have I passed over the Lord’s promises to me as easily as my children pass by the little table, never opening its tiny drawer?

God’s promises must be seen, touched, and received by faith in order to be enjoyed. Thankfully, believers are given Divine hints - prophetic words - to help us locate what is rightfully ours!

I’ll continue to encourage my children until they find their hidden treasures. Yet my greater prayer is that they will never miss the secret treasure of God’s promises, hidden in His Word for all to find.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. ~ 1 John 1:1-4