Make it memorable

For me, the best part of Christmas is gift-giving. My life is full of good things and wonderful people. My needs and wants are few. Seeing the joy that comes from presenting a truly thoughtful gift makes my day. My wife, Bev, is a master of gift giving! She seldom just ‘gets a gift.’ She thinks about the person, plans for the presentation, listens for clues, and when she gives - she seldom misses the mark.

Would you like to bring joy to somebody this Christmas? 
Here are some suggestions for giving.

1. Make it personal.  I remember a special gift that didn’t cost a fortune, but it made an impression! It is a ‘book’ my son, Sean, created for me a few years ago in which he shared ways that I was a good father. I still can’t read what he wrote in it without getting choked up.  The best gifts don’t come from Macy’s; believe me.

2. Give yourself. Time is the most valuable commodity we have.  Man of us would rather write a check than give 2-3 hours  of our time.  Instead of sending a gift, make an offer of a night of babysitting, or to do some gardening, or go spend an evening with an elderly person who is alone,  …  get creative. But, remember, the gift of yourself is better than a gift card, almost any time!

3. Enhance the value of another. Pay somebody a sincere compliment and watch them light up.  Take the time to sit down and write a paragraph that tells somebody how her life makes the world a better place.  Tell them they are a great Mom, or an inspiring Christian, or a super-listener, or a hard worker, or… you’re getting the idea, right?  Our church had “Pastor Appreciation” day in October. I don’t want to seem ungrateful for the monetary gift (it was nice!) but the most meaningful thing to me was hearing the Deacons and Elders speak about specific ways that my service has blessed them.  Their words were a blessing spoken into my life. Critics abound. Be an encourager.

4. Sacrifice without seeking notice!  Find out a way to take care of a need for somebody, then do it anonymously, if possible. Few things bring me greater joy than hearing about a need and taking steps to meet it, whether that’s putting the person in touch with somebody who can help, writing a check, or praying earnestly.  When we give from our own need, God blesses that kind of sacrifice. Remember the widow that put a penny in the offering?  The Lord told His disciples, she gave more than the rich guys who gave out of their abundance.   Then too, Jesus reminds us to be,  “Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding. … Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out." (Matthew 6:1, 4 The Message)   

I took all those cues from the One whose Gift inspires this Season.  That familiar verse says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NLT)  He gave Himself, for us, at great cost.  My prayer is that we will be changed by His gift and then, from the richness of grace poured into us, become people who give the best gifts. 

Here’s a word from the Word. "For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:15-17, NIV)

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O Love that wilt not let me go,

I rest my weary soul in thee;

I give thee back the life I owe,

That in thine ocean depths its flow

May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,

I yield my flickering torch to thee;

My heart restores its borrowed ray,

That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day

May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,

I cannot close my heart to thee;

I trace the rainbow through the rain,

And feel the promise is not vain,

That morn shall tearless be.

George Matheson, public domain