For the Love of Gifts
I just adore getting a gift and I bet you do to! You know why? There’s a very good reason… and you may never open another present without thinking about this simple truth.
So what is it that we love so much about them?
Here’s my list. Would you add anything?
– I did nothing to deserve it or earn it but I get to enjoy it
– I didn’t have to pay for it
– Sometimes it’s something I didn’t even know I needed or was available right now
– The simple wonderment of not knowing what it is until it’s unwrapped/received
And finally (what I love most)
– It is a sign of someone else thinking of me and displaying in a tangible way that they care
Worth the Wait
Last year, I decided to put all of our Christmas presents under the tree a few weeks before Christmas instead of just the night before. I realized that my children have not had many chances to experience what it means to wait for something they really want. I know you know what I mean. In today’s fast paced world, we get almost everything within 24 hours or less from the time we first thought of it. This exercise has been worthwhile for sure. It’s been fun to see the kids inspect, discuss, and even long to open what’s inside on a daily basis, knowing full well the answer is “not ‘til Christmas morning.”
A Promised Gift
I can’t help but wonder what it was like for those waiting for the Messiah to arrive. Because of the many prophecies that foretold His coming, they knew there would be a day when the greatest gift of all would finally be here. One day, their hearts would be filled with joy of the good news that Heaven has touched Earth and would never be the same again. And then it happened! Christmas morning came! The whole reason we celebrate today is because at last, all those years ago, the waiting was finally over! The promised one, the long awaited Savior of the world, made His entrance as a helpless baby born in a humble stable filled with hay.
Gift Giving G.O.A.T
How can I be so certain that we are designed to love and find enjoyment in receiving gifts? Because I know the “Gift-Giving G.O.A.T.” (greatest of all time… not the one that goes baaa)! It’s Jesus, and here’s why: He gave His life as a FREE Gift for you and I, just so that we may experience true joy and fulfillment in this life and even more so in Heaven.
Here is my list of why Jesus is the best Gift Giver. What would you add?
– It is nothing we deserve; we cannot earn it but we get to enjoy it
– We don’t have to pay anything for it
– It’s something we ALL need, but many didn’t realize it’s available right now
– It leaves a continual state of wonderment as we experience how good it is once we accept it
And finally (what I love most)
– It is a sign that the one who put the stars in the sky and yet knitted us together; the one who thought the world needed you and me in it, right at this moment in time; the one who knows us better than anyone else in this world (all the good, the bad and the ugly) still thought of us and displayed in a tangible way that He cares for us enough to die on a cross
Simple Acceptance
We are designed to love receiving gifts because God wants you to receive His free gift of everlasting life (John 3:16-17)! He wants to give you a relationship that will never quit on you, always answer your calls, experience triumphs with you, hold you when you can’t find strength to stand, and give you a reason to have hope. His love is the only gift you will ever truly need and it is waiting for you right now. All you have to do is accept it.
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