It has been a wonderful week of having the kids home from school and being together. We have watched some movies, got caught up on some favorite shows, and spent time with friends. Thanksgiving was delicious in more ways than one. The turkey dinner was fabulous, and the time with family was the best.
Now we turn our attention to Christmas. The lights are up and decorations have consumed the house. We have had our first sip of Egg Nog, and put the Christmas music into the CD player. The Christmas list is blank, and the creative juices need to kick in. No doubt, it is a busy time of the year!
As I surveyed the kids this year about what they want, they echoed the words Jon and I have said, which is, "We can't think of anything that we really need." Nice words coming from your kids. After awhile you realize, it is all just stuff. We have lots of stuff. We have closets full of stuff. We all agreed that maybe doing something together would be the best gift. Like a play or a concert.
The Bible talks about this very thing. We are told not to store up treasures here on earth because "stuff" does not matter. We are to store up treasures in heaven.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21
It is hard to walk through Kohl's with a 20% off coupon and not want lots of stuff! I can always find something for myself, the house, the girls... We have this need to have new clothes and pretty things around us. But, when you stop and think about the needs of others, it makes you want to go out and do something that really counts. I think my family needs a service project to really understand our over abundance of stuff and how little it all means. We need to sacrifice something to really understand what giving is all about. As I write that sentence, I wonder if we are up to the challenge.
Rachel told me that she recently read "The Gift of the Magi" and loved the story about a man who sells his watch to buy some beautiful hair clips for his wife's long hair. The wife cuts her hair and sell it so she can purchase a chain for her husband's watch. In the end, they find that their sacrifice out of love is the best gift of all.
The gifts that the Magi brought to baby Jesus were the first gifts of Christmas. They were meaningful and prophetic gifts. Gold symbolized virtue, and was something you gave to a royalty. Frankincense symbolized prayer and was a religious ointment. Myrrh symbolized suffering and was used for embalming. Jesus became the King of all, our Redeemer, and the one who sacrificed His life for us all. Truly a gift that can't be matched by us! All we need to do is accept the gift of salvation.
My prayer is that everyone will seek the gift of Christmas this month. Try out a new church (Glenkirk Church in Glendora - 9:45 a.m. sevice), soak in the words to a beautiful Christmas hymn, or give your time and resources to someone who is in need. All or one of these would make the Christmas season a true gift to yourself.
Blessings,
Sandy
P.S. Jon is still getting used to being 50. Skydiving did not work out due to weather, so he will postpone it until the spring. I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief!
