Have the faith of a child to receive God's blessings

" ... a child shall lead them."

- Isaiah 11:6 (NIV)

Throughout my life, I rejoiced singing at Christmas. Playing carols on the piano and lifting my voice in song was one of my favorite Christmas traditions.

In my preteen years, I found myself singing with angels in the church Christmas pageant. Well, not exactly real angels, but friends and family in our church choir, dressed in gold and white, wearing wings and halos constructed of cardboard and aluminum foil.

The littlest angels frequented our nursery; they were anywhere from 3- to 6 years old. The bigger angels were members of the junior and senior choir, like myself. Each Saturday afternoon, from mid-October until performance Sunday, we gathered together to blend our voices in song as we practiced lyrics: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men."

At times during practice, the wee-ones distracted the group as they fidgeted in line and spoke out of turn. But we did our best to be patient with them.

As time passed, the autumn leaves disappeared, and white, fluffy snowflakes floated from the gray December sky. The day of the big performance finally arrived. After months of practice, the sweet heavenly choir, dressed in pristine costumes, started their way onto the sanctuary platform.

All eyes were upon us as the older angels came out single file forming a semicircle in the back row. Next, the littlest angels marched across the platform, with some needing a gentle push. Others shyly looked down and shuffled their feet back and forth to avoid eye contact with the large crowd.

Oohs and ahhs filled the congregation as the wee ones filed in. As the last tiny tot fell in line, a reverent hush filled the room. With our knees knocking and our palms sweating, we anxiously waited for the organist to hit the first chord.

Soon a melodious sound echoed from the church organ. But the only sound that resonated from the heavenly choir was silence. Once again, the organist hit a harmonious chord, cuing the choir to begin; but the angels stood tongue-tied. The silence appeared to remain unending!

Then a hearty voice commanded the choir, "Come on guys, let's sing!"

The audience bellowed with laughter. It was the littlest angel in the front row taking the lead over the junior and senior choir. The roar of laughter broke the tension, and when the next chord resounded, the choir brought forth a heavenly sound. With the littlest angel leading, the choir gave their best performance.

Jesus instructed us in Matthew 18:3, "unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Part of the wonder of Christmas is the faith of a child. As believers, may we stir up the childlike faith within our hearts and receive the blessings God has in store for us.

• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. She can be contacted at annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.