Jesus isn’t the Easter Bunny and the Holy Spirit ain't Santa Claus

I was a child who was always skeptical about things. It drove my mom crazy, because “why” was my favorite question. At a very young age, I remember questioning my parents intensely about Santa Claus. “How is it even possible that He flies around the world in one night? He knows everything that I want? He eats all of those cookies and milk? I like cookies, but that seems a little crazy to me.” In the end, my curiosity proved to be too much for the lie of Santa Claus. I snuck downstairs one Christmas Eve and caught my parents red handed stuffing presents under the tree!My curiosity still gets to me when it comes to Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, etc. Please just stay with me on this; I promise I am not starting a debate about whether or not we should tell kids these stories. I do, on the other hand, have to ask my favorite question of why. Why do we still tell kids about these fake characters that do not exist? I think the answer for most parents would be things like, because we want them to believe in things that they cannot see. We want to spark their imagination. We want them to dream big and have high hopes. These all seem like noble lessons to teach children, and they very well may be. However, I do believe that these noble lessons can be a bit dangerous if applied to God.Personally, while my previous experience with these fictional characters as a child may have played a part in me being open to Jesus, they also have a tendency to negatively impact the way I view Him today. While all of these characters may teach me lessons about giving, loving, and serving, none of them are actually real entities that empower me to do any of those things. The Easter Bunny doesn’t actually know every single hair on my head and care about every single detail of my life. Santa Claus doesn’t live inside of me, and empower me to rise up with courage to reach out to people in love. Neither one of them stick closer to me than a brother. They don’t mourn with me when I mourn or rejoice with me when I rejoice. I can’t actually touch or experience them.This is just simply not true about our God. Not only was Jesus Christ a real person who walked on this earth 2000 years ago and died for all of our sins. He is also still alive and well today, and we all have direct access to Him at every moment in the person of the Holy Spirit. Jesus isn’t just a wise man who walked the earth for a few years and set a high bar for how we should carry ourselves. God isn’t just a nice idea that generally makes our lives better. I have heard several atheists, men and women who claim no belief in God, say that it is beneficial for people to have faith or a religion that gives them comfort. Essentially, they are saying that God isn’t alive or active, but the ideas that believing in Him promote are generally beneficial. That is basically reducing Jesus to the status of the Easter Bunny or saying the Holy Spirit is kind of like Santa Claus.The good news, and also the very convicting news, is that Jesus is not the Easter Bunny and the Holy Spirit aint Santa Claus. Jesus didn’t just come here to give us some generally appealing recommendations for a good life. He didn’t come here just to help us feel a little better, make our lives a little more comfortable, and then die. He said things like, “I am the way the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6), “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18), and "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near“ (Matthew 4:14). He also assures us that He will be with us always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20).Can you relate with me in that you sometimes find yourself responding to God as if He is the Easter Bunny? Do you ever find yourself reading the bible and thinking, “yeah that’s a nice thought,” but not letting it have any real impact on the way you live? Today, I am just asking you to take 5 minutes and reflect. Just ask yourself the question, “Am I relating to the living God as if He were a fictitious man flying around the world with Reindeers, eating cookies and spreading a little cheer, or am I treating Him like the all-knowing, all powerful, everlasting creator of the universe?” Regardless of how you answer, it doesn’t change the truth that the God who raised Christ from the dead is very much alive, and He is constantly pursuing you.