I remember a Christmas when I was..oh, 7 or 8 years old. That would be right around 1966. All I wanted was a doll, right? Wrong, much to my father’s chagrin! A Tonka truck was top of the list! My older sister was also in on the excitement. My father was adamant: girls played with dolls; or tea sets. They never, ever played with trucks. We begged; we pleaded. He said NO! At that time frame, girls and women were really beginning to look at what were considered (at the time) very untraditional things, and my father was VERY, VERY traditional.
Imagine our surprise on Christmas morning to unwrap not only a Tonka truck, but a front-end loader, also! I never did discover what changed his mind…but we were so glad he did.
~ Mandy Matha
Psalm 149
1 Praise the Lord.[a]
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
let the people of Zion be glad in their King.
3 Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music to him with timbrel and harp.
4 For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory.
5 Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor
and sing for joy on their beds.6 May the praise of God be in their mouths
and a double-edged sword in their hands,
7 to inflict vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with fetters,
their nobles with shackles of iron,
9 to carry out the sentence written against them—
this is the glory of all his faithful people.Praise the Lord.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we know that You want only the best for Your children and that is what You have given us in Jesus. As loving parents, we want to give our children the best we have to offer and what we believe or know will make them happy. Through our giving this Christmas, help us to bring joy to others. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.