santa machine

Yesterday we were at one of those restaurants which has a machine by the door to lure quarters out of your pocket. It was the one with a long grabbing arm and stuffed animals - in this case gingerbread men and santas. I can honestly say I have never given into the pleading for quarters until yesterday when our youngest child just would not quit. She asked for 50c out of her own birthday money and despite my urgings would not be disuaded - she had it figured out she said - there was one Santa not placed like the others - near the edge - near the shute which the toys can fall out of. She knew how it worked, she informed me, and she was confident she could get it.

I was confident she could not but decided to let her try. Only 50c I told her and be prepared for disappointment. Needless to say she is now the proud owner of a plush santa which was tucked up in bed with her last night. She did have it figured out and executed her plan to perfection. She even managed not to gloat too much as she proved me wrong.

As we were driving home I told her how amazing she is - but my real motivation for this was not so much the fact that she had beaten the machine but the confidence which she has in herself. If I did not know her I would claim a lucky fluke - but I do and I know she studies things and, so far as is possible, works them out.

I wish I could bottle that confidence and share it around. That ability to believe in something which seems unlikely or impossible. That ability to believe that you can achieve something which seems beyond grasp.

This, of course, is the confidence which Jesus offers us - but it is a childlike trust - not the adult version of life which is too often - do not try because you will fail anyway. This is not about taking risks just for the sake of it but it is about trusting that within the context of prayer and discernment. Some risks are OK - they are part of life.

Success and failure are very different in the Christian life than they can appear if we just look at the surface of our existence. Confidence in Jesus' sort of success can be doubly difficult because it asks us to behave like a child, slip our hand in Jesus' and simply allow. But if we can, if we can develop that sort of belief we will find we are indeed confident in all good things.

Advent is about knowing who we are and believing in what we can do for the kingdom. Confidence in Christ is key - not in our own abilities - but in Jesus' promise to transform us and make us who we can be.