James 1:16-18
Don’t be fooled, my dear friends. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He is always the same and never makes dark shadows by changing. He wanted us to be his own special people, and so he sent the true message to give us new birth.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
In a typical 7-year-old whine, Timothy lamented this weekend that “I don’t think I can wait three more weeks for Christmas!” I told him to enjoy this month…to think of Christmas as a whole season - and Christmas Day as the culmination when many more gifts arrive. I have reminded myself to do this – especially in recent years. I try to find joy in the events that lead up to December 25th. Decorating, writing cards, baking, wrapping gifts…all of this is part and parcel of what “Christmas” is all about – or in my opinion, it should be.
These activities should not be thought of as “chores” to be accomplished…but rather, gifts to others – and to ourselves. When Timothy and Nathan examined our holiday decorations this weekend and their faces lit up with joy and wonder, I felt like I had received a gift. When I enjoy a holiday cookie or two and a cup of spiced tea, I feel as if God is saying, “Celebrate the season…every bit of it.”
When Greg, “Grandma E”, and I meet up with the children and their parents at the annual city Christmas parade – and watch the expressions on their faces as they review the entries, I feel as if God has blessed me with a gift of time spent creating happy memories. When we watch the children open gifts on Christmas Eve and hear them say, “It’s just what I wanted!”…I feel as if God is saying, “Now you know how *I* feel when I give you something that you really appreciate.”
My point is this…God’s gifts are all around us. Yes, we acknowledge the gift of Jesus during this holiday season. But do we truly recognize all of the “good and perfect” little gifts that God is continually bestowing upon us? Do we see the daily “gifts” of the Christmas season…or are we so narrowly focused on THE DAY that we miss everything else? If all we can think about is December 24th and 25th, we will miss the true gifts of the “Christmas Season.” And if we get tunnel vision about God’s gifts in general, we will miss more than a few of them.
Stop and “smell the roses” in the next few weeks. Give yourself the gift of an attitude adjustment, and acknowledge every single event and activity that culminates in “Christmas Day.” Recognize – and appreciate – all of God’s good and perfect gifts…even shopping for Aunt Mary and untangling that aggravatingly twisted bundle of twinkling lights! Take time to thank God…for Jesus – and for the amazing opportunities we have to serve and celebrate Him. All too soon, it will be a new year, and “Christmas” will have come and gone again. We will look back and wish it hadn’t all flown by so quickly. But will we have truly relished and respected God and his “good and perfect” gifts? Isn’t it time we did?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Don’t be fooled, my dear friends. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He is always the same and never makes dark shadows by changing. He wanted us to be his own special people, and so he sent the true message to give us new birth.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
In a typical 7-year-old whine, Timothy lamented this weekend that “I don’t think I can wait three more weeks for Christmas!” I told him to enjoy this month…to think of Christmas as a whole season - and Christmas Day as the culmination when many more gifts arrive. I have reminded myself to do this – especially in recent years. I try to find joy in the events that lead up to December 25th. Decorating, writing cards, baking, wrapping gifts…all of this is part and parcel of what “Christmas” is all about – or in my opinion, it should be.
These activities should not be thought of as “chores” to be accomplished…but rather, gifts to others – and to ourselves. When Timothy and Nathan examined our holiday decorations this weekend and their faces lit up with joy and wonder, I felt like I had received a gift. When I enjoy a holiday cookie or two and a cup of spiced tea, I feel as if God is saying, “Celebrate the season…every bit of it.”
When Greg, “Grandma E”, and I meet up with the children and their parents at the annual city Christmas parade – and watch the expressions on their faces as they review the entries, I feel as if God has blessed me with a gift of time spent creating happy memories. When we watch the children open gifts on Christmas Eve and hear them say, “It’s just what I wanted!”…I feel as if God is saying, “Now you know how *I* feel when I give you something that you really appreciate.”
My point is this…God’s gifts are all around us. Yes, we acknowledge the gift of Jesus during this holiday season. But do we truly recognize all of the “good and perfect” little gifts that God is continually bestowing upon us? Do we see the daily “gifts” of the Christmas season…or are we so narrowly focused on THE DAY that we miss everything else? If all we can think about is December 24th and 25th, we will miss the true gifts of the “Christmas Season.” And if we get tunnel vision about God’s gifts in general, we will miss more than a few of them.
Stop and “smell the roses” in the next few weeks. Give yourself the gift of an attitude adjustment, and acknowledge every single event and activity that culminates in “Christmas Day.” Recognize – and appreciate – all of God’s good and perfect gifts…even shopping for Aunt Mary and untangling that aggravatingly twisted bundle of twinkling lights! Take time to thank God…for Jesus – and for the amazing opportunities we have to serve and celebrate Him. All too soon, it will be a new year, and “Christmas” will have come and gone again. We will look back and wish it hadn’t all flown by so quickly. But will we have truly relished and respected God and his “good and perfect” gifts? Isn’t it time we did?
©2016 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment