The Perfect Gift

There is something that feels so right when you find the right gift for someone...I don't quite know how to describe it without using cheesy phrases like "joy bubbles up inside" or "a sense of warmth flows through me" but it is deeply satisfying to me.  I love thinking about the things that those I care about are interested in and trying to find a simple way to give them something they will not only love, but be able to use or be blessed by as an expression of my love for them.  The look on someone's face when they receive that kind of gift...surprise, delight, gratitude...can be like a candle being lit in a dark room.

It's Christmas, and at this time of year gifts are at the front of many people's minds.  True gifts are not earned like wages for work.  They are willingly and freely given without the expectation of anything in return.

The perfect gift comes from a giver who knows the recipient so intimately that they not only know what the recipient says they want and need, but also what that person doesn't even realize is missing or could bring so much more to their life than they could ever imagine.  The giver sees the big picture and gives thought and care to all aspects of who the person truly is.

However, even the perfect gift doesn't bless the recipient unless they actually receive the gift...unless they take the present from under the tree and actually open it up.  Whether they open the gift or not, it will always belong to them.  Ownership is never in question, but it must be received to be appreciated.  Not only that, but it must be used to really bless the receiver.

How many of us have received wonderful gifts at Christmas, only to leave them sitting on a shelf after one or two uses? Sometimes the gift doesn't even make it out of the box to be used once...It may be incredibly beneficial to me, but unless I use it to it's full potential it will never change anything in my daily life.

For example: if I was in desperate need of a shower--the feeling after a long day exploring the hot

dusty streets in India or Cambodia with some kind of bus, rickshaw or tuk tuk ride comes to mind...and someone gave me some wonderful smelling soap as a gift.  In that moment soap is exactly what is needed and is a huge blessing to me...even just smelling the fresh fruity fragrance might make me feel cleaner! Yet, unless that soap is actually used to wash, it will not actually make me clean and won't bring the full intended refreshment.

On the very first Christmas God gave us the most perfect gift of all--His son, so that we can move past the dusty, sweaty, sinful versions of ourselves to be "sweet and clean" enough to be in His glorious and most holy presence.  Jesus' life and death provided the "soap" we need to be washed clean of all our mistakes, bad attitudes, hurts, poor decisions, selfishness, and pride.

But unless we are willing to walk out that salvation, it is just another unused gift sitting on a shelf collecting dust.  Although we are not saved by works, the changes we make in our lives because of this unmerited gift of grace and mercy are the way we take full advantage of this precious gift.  We haven't worked to earn the gift, yet it requires effort to learn about it and use it to it's full potential in our lives.

We must continue to use God's gift of grace and forgiveness in the process of sanctification...changing our thinking, our habits, our actions, forgiving ourselves and others for mistakes and offenses...washing off the messiness of life itself continually.  Luckily God's gift is a bit different than a bar of soap however, as it will never get used up.  We have continual access to his grace, mercy and forgiveness.  The gift is freely given for us to use as often as we would like.

So as I celebrate this perfect gift with my family and honor God's character of generosity as we share gifts with one another, I pray that I will be reminded all through the year to use this gift I have received.  

Merry Christmas!