A Gift for Eternity
It’s Better Than A Diamond!
Before the Thanksgiving leftovers were put away. Sleds & reindeers danced across the rooftops of my neighborhood. While the captivating smell of cinnamon & pine flooded my nose.
Store isles are saturated with Christmas. I remember as a child, the joy from just walking into Toys-R-Us.
Now 40, I’m walking down similar toy aisles, and see kids hosting those same exuberant smiles.
GIFTS & CHRISTMAS GO HAND IN HAND
Children are innocent, and true to what’s in their hearts. They know it’s Christmas, and they associate Christmas with gifts. But not just children, adults as well.
Unfortunately, we tend to spend copious amounts of time & money finding the perfect gift. We’ll sit for hours on a computer, or phone searching. Camp outside to save $20. There is no mountain too high or ocean too deep to stop us from finding the perfect gift for our loved ones.
GIFTS ONLY LAST SO LONG BEFORE THEY HAVE TO BE REPLACED
But sometimes I wonder in the busyness of search & seizure, what is really gained? Lost time from long return lines, wasted money from broken toys, and sometimes bitterness from ungrateful hearts.
Don’t get me wrong, giving is beautiful. I love giving gifts! But, after the wrapping is shredded on the floor and the clock strikes twelve, a new year begins. The gifts of Christmas are now outdated, because a new version has just come out.
This year I want to give not only gifts under the tree, but gifts that last or at least make an impression for a lifetime.
TICK TOCK
How about the gift of time? We spent time searching & seeking for the perfect gift, GIVE TIME! Listen when you would prefer to speak, sit when you want to run away, cook together instead of eating out, laugh or cry, just be together. Time is a gift that keeps giving. When time is given we sow seeds of love & compassion.
I MIGHT NOT WANT TO, BUT I’LL DO IT FOR YOU
How about the gift of service? Volunteer to serve at your local church for the annual Christmas giveaway, help feed the less fortunate, spend time with someone at a local senior center, pull in your neighbor’s trash cans, smile to everyone you see for a day regardless if they smile back. Acts of service are sacrificial with great impacts that can leave lifelong impressions.
I CAN SHOW YOU BETTER THAN I CAN TELL YOU
How about the gift of love? “Oh, I bought you this for $500. See I love you!” That may be the case with most acts of love, but let’s try showing a deeper impact of love.
Forgive someone you vowed never to speak to again, apologize even though it was obviously not your fault, do something kind and don’t tell anybody it was you, compliment someone, build someone up. A hug goes a long way, plant a seed of hope/joy/gratitude, kind words make a huge difference.
THE GREATEST IS LOVE
Out of all the gifts we could give this holiday the greatest is love. The miracle of Christmas is that the greatest gift has always been free. Our greatest example of this free gift came through the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.
“For God so LOVED the world He GAVE His only begotten son.” (John 3:16)
God loved us so much He gave The GREATEST Gift of a Savior, in order for us to have free access to eternal life for all that proclaim out their mouths that He is Lord & Savior. God was the first to give free gifts.
A gift that impacts us for more than a lifetime, for eternity. Jesus is a gift of TIME ▶ eternity, He is a gift of SACRIFICE because of His act of SERVICE ▶ His life for ours, and LOVE ▶ He loved us so He willfully died for us.
How about taking a moment to remember who made CHRISTmas possible.
This Christmas let’s all make an impact that can change a life for eternity.
