LOOK BEYOND THE GIFT
Time is growing near. The eagerly awaited “Black Friday” is just a paycheck or two away. The day after Thanksgiving is what many people call the official start of the Christmas buying season. I tend to call it the day I get to wake up late, stay home (which permits me to avoid the traffic jams on the road, parking lots and in stores) and to let my bloated belly relax from the previous day’s feast... at least until lunch.
Buying presents for people can be fun, but it can also be chaotic if you’re not sure what to get, or you can’t find what’s on their list of desires. I have found that shopping alone and being done within a very short time period has yielded the best results. If you have to look for a long time for something, then the chances of finding the right gift may go unfound. That’s been my experience, maybe not yours.
I love giving gifts to people. It brings a smile to my face to see the happiness in another person when they’ve received my gift. I also like receiving gifts; that too makes me happy, but my real deep down happiness comes from giving to others, especially if the gift makes an impact on their lives.
What makes a gift so special that it has an effect on a person’s life? It comes from the heart. The gift may not have been a purchased item and it may not contain any material value, so to speak, it may not even be planned or asked for, but to the receiver the gift is priceless.
A teenager’s life hangs in the balance due to poor decisions and risks losing everything good to them. When all seems lost, a door is left open and a new start is waiting on the other side. A gift of forgiveness and new hope is given and received and a young life is saved from destruction.
A mother is heartbroken, with a mind full of hurts, unanswered questions and feelings of guilt. A friend sits and listens as the mother empties her heart out. The first part of the healing process has begun. A gift of caring and friendship is shared and a pain is eased.
A father’s heart stops and he collapses in front of a gathering of people. A person trained in CPR quickly comes to the rescue and keeps the father’s heart working until the medics come and take him to the hospital where he recovers. The father’s life is saved, because of the gift of a son who knew CPR.
A family loses their home and all of their possessions to a disaster. Another family offers to house and feed the distraught family and find them clothing. Lost hope turns to new beginnings.
Two friends are not going to see each other for a while and without asking, one friend reaches out and gives the other a warm hug. True friendship is shared.
A lifelong criminal, who was being hanged on a cross for his hideous crimes, looks at the young man being nailed to the cross next to him and says, “If someone like me could end up in the kingdom you’re headed to, that would be fantastic!”
Without hesitation, the young man gave the repentant man grace and said to him, “Today you will be with me in my kingdom.” The man’s past was buried and a new eternal life was given.
All of these gifts were real and from the heart and all are priceless. What bind all these gifts together are the teachings and the fulfilling promise the young man nailed to the cross gives to us. Jesus, the ultimate giver of life, came not only to save the criminal from his horrid past but to save each and every one of us from our own past and give us a future filled with purpose and an everlasting life, if we are willing to give him our past.
When you look beyond the gift that Jesus is giving us, you will see what true forgiveness, friendship, hope, salvation, encouragement, love and life really is, and is all about.
If you are still looking for that perfect gift for someone, then put your cash and credit cards away and give them the opportunity for a relationship with Jesus Christ. When the gift of a life with Jesus is given and accepted, the spirit filled joy will be seen and felt, and that kind of happiness is….. PRICELESS!!
Have fun shopping. I hope you find what you are looking for.
Time is growing near. The eagerly awaited “Black Friday” is just a paycheck or two away. The day after Thanksgiving is what many people call the official start of the Christmas buying season. I tend to call it the day I get to wake up late, stay home (which permits me to avoid the traffic jams on the road, parking lots and in stores) and to let my bloated belly relax from the previous day’s feast... at least until lunch.
Buying presents for people can be fun, but it can also be chaotic if you’re not sure what to get, or you can’t find what’s on their list of desires. I have found that shopping alone and being done within a very short time period has yielded the best results. If you have to look for a long time for something, then the chances of finding the right gift may go unfound. That’s been my experience, maybe not yours.
I love giving gifts to people. It brings a smile to my face to see the happiness in another person when they’ve received my gift. I also like receiving gifts; that too makes me happy, but my real deep down happiness comes from giving to others, especially if the gift makes an impact on their lives.
What makes a gift so special that it has an effect on a person’s life? It comes from the heart. The gift may not have been a purchased item and it may not contain any material value, so to speak, it may not even be planned or asked for, but to the receiver the gift is priceless.
A teenager’s life hangs in the balance due to poor decisions and risks losing everything good to them. When all seems lost, a door is left open and a new start is waiting on the other side. A gift of forgiveness and new hope is given and received and a young life is saved from destruction.
A mother is heartbroken, with a mind full of hurts, unanswered questions and feelings of guilt. A friend sits and listens as the mother empties her heart out. The first part of the healing process has begun. A gift of caring and friendship is shared and a pain is eased.
A father’s heart stops and he collapses in front of a gathering of people. A person trained in CPR quickly comes to the rescue and keeps the father’s heart working until the medics come and take him to the hospital where he recovers. The father’s life is saved, because of the gift of a son who knew CPR.
A family loses their home and all of their possessions to a disaster. Another family offers to house and feed the distraught family and find them clothing. Lost hope turns to new beginnings.
Two friends are not going to see each other for a while and without asking, one friend reaches out and gives the other a warm hug. True friendship is shared.
A lifelong criminal, who was being hanged on a cross for his hideous crimes, looks at the young man being nailed to the cross next to him and says, “If someone like me could end up in the kingdom you’re headed to, that would be fantastic!”
Without hesitation, the young man gave the repentant man grace and said to him, “Today you will be with me in my kingdom.” The man’s past was buried and a new eternal life was given.
All of these gifts were real and from the heart and all are priceless. What bind all these gifts together are the teachings and the fulfilling promise the young man nailed to the cross gives to us. Jesus, the ultimate giver of life, came not only to save the criminal from his horrid past but to save each and every one of us from our own past and give us a future filled with purpose and an everlasting life, if we are willing to give him our past.
When you look beyond the gift that Jesus is giving us, you will see what true forgiveness, friendship, hope, salvation, encouragement, love and life really is, and is all about.
If you are still looking for that perfect gift for someone, then put your cash and credit cards away and give them the opportunity for a relationship with Jesus Christ. When the gift of a life with Jesus is given and accepted, the spirit filled joy will be seen and felt, and that kind of happiness is….. PRICELESS!!
Have fun shopping. I hope you find what you are looking for.
posted by John | Wednesday, November 14, 2007
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