What gift are you hoping for this Christmas? A lot of attention and activity around Christmas is focused on gifts. We want to give good gifts. Some people keep a watch all year long, looking for the perfect gifts to give the people they care about. Then, there are the things we hope to receive.
A lot of us may be overly concerned with that receiving part. One year, when I was about 8 or 10 years old, a friend and I decided to open all our gifts ahead of time. We started at my house, found an opportune moment when parents weren’t in the immediate vicinity, and carefully opened each gift enough to reveal the contents. Then we re-taped them and put them back under the tree. After that we went over to her house and did the same thing. There was a thrill associated with our devious actions, but when it came time to open gifts with the family, much of the fun was missing.
My husband and I learned after the fact that when our children were growing up, our daughter examined our checkbook in the weeks leading to Christmas in order to learn at what stores I had been shopping.
It’s reasonable to think about gifts at Christmastime. It’s a season of giving. Gifts are love-expressions. They tell someone they matter to us.
But the material gifts we exchange are just tokens of something much bigger. The first Christmas came out of the generous heart of God. For God so loved the world that He gave . . . God gave the greatest gift when He gave us Jesus, to save us from our sins. It was an expression of His love for the people of the world. It settles once and for all how much we matter to Him.
When we empty our hearts of our selfish desires, and turn to Jesus, He fills us with other gifts–peace, security, confidence, and contentment. When we give Him our hearts, He drives out things like hypocrisy, greed, and worry.
We live in a fallen world. Our personal sin contributes to the fallen-ness. But even in the midst of despair, if we have Jesus, we have hope. The darkness does not overcome the light. The miracle of faith is being able to see the beauty and the wonder, even in a sin-damaged world.
The world gets distracted by the lights and tinsel. People celebrate the idea of Christmas, but without Jesus in their hearts they miss what is really important. Those who know Jesus experience so much more than a happy holiday.
Jesus is the greatest gift. The gifts under the tree aren’t nearly as important as what is in our hearts.
And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21 NLT
What gift are you hoping for this Christmas? Please leave a comment below.
Blessings,
Phyllis
Copyright 2024 Phyllis L. Farringer
Image by Ylanite Koppens from Pixabay
Dear Phyllis,
I appreciate the gift of friendships that God has blessed me with. Through my church and BSF He has extended my family with sisters and brothers of the heart. You are such a blessing and I am so thankful that God allowed me to be in your group!! Have a blessed Christmas as we celebrate the greatest gift…our Savior !
Thank you, Cathy. God is so gracious to us all.
I’m so thankful for the only gift that matters – Jesus. Thank you for your post! Merry Christmas!
Thank you, Joni. Merry Christmas.
I, too, remember those young friends opening and rewrapping gifts. It certainly did make Christmas morning less enjoyable.
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Phyllis!
Thank you, Holly. Yes, there is a reason we only did that once. Merry Christmas to you and your family!