When my brother and I were little, we were very curious about the presents Mom had under the tree. My brother was always trying to "pink" (as he called peeking) inside the packages to guess what they might be.
One year, when we were a little older and had been left unsupervised for a period of time, we took matters into our own hands. Carefully using scissors to snip the tape away from the wrapping paper, we looked inside to see what we were receiving. Then we taped the packages back up and looked innocent.
Guess what? We found out that the fun of Christmas immediately became diminished for us. One, because the anticipation of what was coming was gone, and two, because of guilt from wrong-doing.
Guilt is such a killer ...
We never did such a thing again. In fact, I would go to great lengths to avoid guessing what I might be getting. I never shook packages or tried to guess by size or weight what the gift was. I found it was much more fun to be surprised!
As I have matured on my Journey, I've found, of course, the greatest gift of Christmas is the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I didn't receive Him at Christmas - how special it would be to become a Christian on Christmas Day! - but accepted the gift of becoming His child on a hot summer day many moons ago.
What I've discovered over the years is the gift of accepting Jesus as your Savior is the gift that keeps on giving ... every day! There are so many layers to this life in Christ that a new layer gets unwrapped each time I draw closer to Him. Every time I read the Bible, or listen to a sermon, or spend time in His presence, I get new perspective on who He is - and on who I am.
What other gift that you've ever received is new every time you look at it? I'm amazed every time I unwrap Christmas.
It's up to me how many times I unwrap this precious gift. Do I accept the gift once and then let it play very little part in my everyday life? Or is that gift so incredibly precious to me that I can't go a day without thinking about it and spending time with the Giver of the gift? Is it the focus of my life?
What is the most precious gift YOU ever received?
This post was written in community with the Christian bloggers at The Loft. This week, we sharing all things Christmas. We'd love to hear your perspective. Link up a post about Christmas here.
One year, when we were a little older and had been left unsupervised for a period of time, we took matters into our own hands. Carefully using scissors to snip the tape away from the wrapping paper, we looked inside to see what we were receiving. Then we taped the packages back up and looked innocent.
Guess what? We found out that the fun of Christmas immediately became diminished for us. One, because the anticipation of what was coming was gone, and two, because of guilt from wrong-doing.
Guilt is such a killer ...
We never did such a thing again. In fact, I would go to great lengths to avoid guessing what I might be getting. I never shook packages or tried to guess by size or weight what the gift was. I found it was much more fun to be surprised!
As I have matured on my Journey, I've found, of course, the greatest gift of Christmas is the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I didn't receive Him at Christmas - how special it would be to become a Christian on Christmas Day! - but accepted the gift of becoming His child on a hot summer day many moons ago.
What I've discovered over the years is the gift of accepting Jesus as your Savior is the gift that keeps on giving ... every day! There are so many layers to this life in Christ that a new layer gets unwrapped each time I draw closer to Him. Every time I read the Bible, or listen to a sermon, or spend time in His presence, I get new perspective on who He is - and on who I am.
What other gift that you've ever received is new every time you look at it? I'm amazed every time I unwrap Christmas.
It's up to me how many times I unwrap this precious gift. Do I accept the gift once and then let it play very little part in my everyday life? Or is that gift so incredibly precious to me that I can't go a day without thinking about it and spending time with the Giver of the gift? Is it the focus of my life?
What is the most precious gift YOU ever received?
This post was written in community with the Christian bloggers at The Loft. This week, we sharing all things Christmas. We'd love to hear your perspective. Link up a post about Christmas here.
Of course the most precious gift is Jesus and the grace of God :)
ReplyDeleteI remember one year growing up looking in the hall closet where my mom had stored Christmas gifts. It did take out the surprise of that Christmas morning, don't think I ever did it again :)
betty
Excellent post. Jesus is the most precious gift. Thank you for the reminder to take time to see him more and more each day, unwrapping his precious gifts to us.
ReplyDeleteThe gift that's new every time we look at Him! Yes, I'm realizing this in a new way this Christmas as I look at the prophecies and return to the Gospels to rejoice in His birth. New with every reading!
ReplyDeleteIt really is amazing how The Word gives and gives and gives. Truly amazing. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteHow I wish that early in my Christian journey I had fully grasped the greatest gift of Christmas. I always knew Christmas was about the Christ but I embraced more of the hoopla and less of the holy. I can't change that and looking back keeps me from moving forward. Your blog today reminds me that It's not only at Christmas I get to unwrap this most amazing gift but everyday as I walk and talk with my Lord. Christmas is a year round heart experience and every day with Jesus is filled with wonderful surprises of grace moments and divine encounters. Merry Christmas Jerralea!
ReplyDeleteSuch truth! Our Christmas presents as kids were beautiful clothes, handmade by my Mother. She was an excellent seamstress and we were always so excited to see what she had made us. They truly were the gifts that kept on giving. Every time I wore a piece she made I was reminded of her love. I still have a couple of pieces that she made. Such a wonderful post at The Loft, Jerralea. thank you.
ReplyDeleteI always liked surprises (and hated breaking rules, ha) so I never looked for or unwrapped my presents. However, my kids and their cousins unwrapped some at grandma’s house one year. :) It’s a happy memory for them to look back and laugh about now. I'm glad I knew nothing about it at the time. ha.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Jerralea! My sister and I did the same thing as children... It did take the fun out of Christmas once we knew what was in the package but for some reason we just could not help ourselves! :)One year we got caught! It was not a fun year.
ReplyDeleteI accepted Jesus in my heart when I was nine years old in at a church revival. I don't remember what time of year it was though. Too long ago.
I'm visiting from The Loft. Thank you for lovely reminders that Christ is the gift that keeps giving--unendingly really. We wouldn't have the gift of our next breath without Him.
ReplyDeleteAs for getting into the packages, I never did that--probably because I'm an only child. Some mischief is just not as fun without an accomplice, and if you get caught, you can't blame anyone else.