Open Your Gift by Lance Fulse
This Christmas time so many things have changed. We are trying to be creative on how we come together to celebrate. Families are having Zoom meetings over dinner to be with their loved ones. This year companies are trying to be creative to celebrate the season. We had a face mask decorating contest, ugly sweater contest and a socially distanced Grinchmas with a Twist event. Although this season looks different, we can still celebrate the joy that is associated with it if we understand the true meaning of the season. Some people will move forward like normal and others will proceed with caution.
I am certain most of us have our own Christmas traditions that we celebrate during this season. From what type of desserts will be baked to what time are we opening Christmas gifts, and can we open one on Christmas Eve? Will we open gifts at home before we go visit relatives or maybe not this year? Will we have on matching pajamas and take Christmas photos? My favorite question is what time are we sitting down to eat and how much can this plate hold. On Christmas Eve, my family and I drive around town and look at the beautifully lit Christmas lights.
I remember growing up ready for Christmas morning. Sometimes I would lay in bed on Christmas Eve looking out the window to see if I could see Santa and his reindeer flying over our house. My mind always wondered on how Santa would deliver our gifts when we have no chimney, but every year he found a way to leave them. The anticipation of waking up and unwrapping gifts was something I looked forward to every Christmas morning. There was the excitement of not knowing what was under the tree or at my Grandmother’s house. Would I get what I asked for? If I did or did not, I would show gratitude because Lola Fulse (my mama) did not play that. You better be thankful for what you received or what was coming next would have been much worse. I can hear some of you saying Amen to that.
You may receive a plethora of gifts or not so many. I believe sometimes we get caught up in the counting of the gifts rather than the intention of the gift. When a person gives a gift, they certainly hope it adds value and enjoyment to you during the Christmas season. It is the person who receives the gift that has the ability to allow the gift to add value and truly make it count. A person who is grateful can make a five (5) dollar gift count and a person who is ungrateful can make a $50,000 gift lose its value. It is not so much about the giver but the response of the receiver. No matter how many physical gifts you open or how many gifts you bestow on others, there is one gift that we can open that has endless value and possibilities.
We celebrate Christmas because God wanted to give the world a gift. Isaiah 9:6 says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” This is a gift to everyone, and all we have to do is open it up. We would never leave a gift under the tree unopened so open the gift of Jesus this season.
Some of you may have played the gift-wrapping game where a present is passed around and it has several layers of empty boxes. Then you begin to unwrap the gift repeatedly until you finally get to the box with the gift in it. I believe the gift of Jesus is just like that but each box you open has a gift in it and those gifts are priceless. The more you unwrap the gift of Jesus the more gifts you will receive. Let me list a few gifts you will come to treasure as you unwrap the gift of Jesus. There is the gift of hope. In 1834 Edward Mote penned a hymn titled “My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less.” The first verse and chorus says, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Chris the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.” These words are still true today.
There is the gift of grace. Ephesians 2: 8 -9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God ---not by works, so that one can boast.”
In Jesus there is the gift of mercy. Titus 3:5 says, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
The gift of eternal life. John 3: 16-17 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world not to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
If you really want to experience the gift that keeps on giving, I suggest you open the gift of Jesus. He is the perfect present to regift. This gift is free to all who want to receive it. Once you open the gift of us Jesus you can appreciate the true miracle of Christmas. Jesus truly is the reason for the season.
Christmas Tip: If you cannot find the perfect gift to give, give the gift of kindness which is also found in Jesus. With Him, you will be encouraged to live your life abundantly each day.