What did YOU get for Christmas?

It's no secret that Christmas time is the season known for purchasing, wrapping and temporarily concealing desirable gifts for those whom you love! You may have picked up on subtle clues all year long by listening to things your loved one wants or needs. Or maybe you blatantly sent out a message (or just asked verbally) the intended receiver what it was they wanted for Christmas. However the approach, after finding out their "list", you eagerly searched and shopped until you found the perfect gift.


And after purchasing it and taking it home, you figured out the best way to wrap it and with sneaky intentions, conceal it until the day it was to be unraveled. But the best part was (and is...if you're anything like me) watching in anticipation as your loved one opens their gift. For there's nothing quite like the look on their face and the expression they exude as  the wrapping paper reveals what they needed and/or wanted. The embrace they cover you with and the thanks they express as they celebrate the reception of their gift.




I must confess, of all the white elephant parties, office parties, family and friends gatherings I attend each year, this part makes me most giddy (second only to wrapping the gift- I am quite obsessed with gift wrapping)! A friend called me a day after Christmas and asked "what did you get for Christmas!?" I chuckled because I felt like a kid being asked that same question, yet I had no logical reply for her. My only reply was, "I didn't ask for anything. I didn't want anything. I only wanted to give gifts..."

"So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." ~Matthew 7:11 NLT

A few days after this conversation was had, the Lord reminded me how much His desire to give "good gifts" to His children exceeds His desire to receive anything from us. God loves giving gifts to us. He goes to great lengths to hand-craft our gifts, takes great precision in making sure it's specially designed to our need, waits in anticipation for His perfect timing to reveal them to us (at just the right time) and beams at the reaction (glory) that comes when that perfect gift is revealed.

Does He want our worship? YES!
Does He want our lives? YES!
But what's more? He desires to GIVE...

...as evident in:

• His gift of Jesus to us
• His (free) gift of salvation (which is a result of accepting His Son)
• His gift of love (which is evident in giving of His Son)
• His gift of forgiveness and grace
• His gift of peace, joy and blessings in abudance!

"By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life..." 2 Peter 1:3a NLT

My family's dog sits behind this cage (which is really a 'rigged "cage" by way of a Baby Gate); but if you look closely all she has to do is push the cage and it will come falling down, freeing her when she whines to be set free (ooooh that'll preach). In short, everything she wants is at her disposal. For those of us who are Believers, we have much more (EVERYTHING, Peter says) given to us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. It's all, already at our disposal! Freely given.



So Tis the season for giving. Not just that God gave His Son...which is where we take our "giving of gifts from". But the fact that God would much rather give. His very nature IS giving. Let that sink in when you feel that He seems to be simply overseeing things and people being "taken" from your life. Marinate on His giving nature when you seem to be losing one thing after another. Celebrate His giving Spirit when all you can think about is what you DON'T HAVE YET or what you desire in 2015. I'm not preaching the prosperity theory nor promoting you to beg for all that you want and need. I'm simply saying reflect on God's nature...His giving nature--so that you don't slip into thinking He's NOT for you...when in fact He really is (and has always been). The true joy of this season (and namely every season of your life) comes from detailing what He already has done/given to you thus far!

Merry Christmas!! xoxo