Doncha just love getting presents? And, at least for me, Christmas presents are THE best. The gifts are wrapped and placed under the tree (even when the only gifts are from you to you). If you don’t know what’s in them, then you can speculate on what might be in those brightly decorated boxes. But, in the back of our minds isn’t the nicest gift that we were remembered… regardless of what’s inside? Do you feel the same way about giving gifts? I always try and get the giftee something I hope they will like. And watching their faces as they open it is so … lovely.
Can you apply that thinking to the greatest gift we received one morning in Bethlehem? A child was born, destined to be the Savior of the world. Can you imagine the wonder in the eyes and hearts of those shepherds when the angels appeared announcing the birth? Wonder… Awe… Questions… Hope… They had to be amazed and excited about what this gift might portend.
When you remember your pleasure when someone opened your gift, imagine the Father’s joy at seeing our reaction to His gift to us? He has just given us a way back into relationship with Him and all we need do is to accept and unwrap the wonderful gift. Indescribable joy! After the immediate reaction is over…what do we do with this unbelievable gift? Do we let it pervade all we do and say? Or… do we put the gift on the shelf and only bring it out occasionally? Let it Be all that’s intended for your life.
That was an article I wrote for my church’s newsletter that I wanted to share. We all love to receive gifts even when we aren’t certain what to do with them. But my question remains… what do we do with the gift of life, the gift of restoration, the gift of family, the gift of life’s purpose, the gift of… and I could go on. The point is – if you count yourself as a Christian, then you’ve received multiple gifts in our one act of accepting Jesus as Lord. How we share and express those gifts is our determination. But simply putting your salvation on the back burner or shelf should never be an option.
Begin to see that YOU are your gift, your present to the world. What you are and do isn’t insignificant or unwanted. Be your gift with joy, love, and wonder.
