“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32
Every Christmas I think about what it was like to be on my feet during the holidays. There were parties and plays, dates and decorating, and hittin’ the malls. My sister Jay and I would traipse through stores, searching for the perfect gifts for everybody.
Then came my diving accident. That Christmas I spent at a rehab center in Baltimore. One of the things that hurt me most was that I couldn’t buy gifts. It added to the hurt I was already feeling. The way I saw it, God was asking way too much of me. Not only was the use of my body taken away at Christmas time, but also the joy of gift giving. Nothing was right; everything was wrong. On the afternoon of Christmas Eve I felt like a martyr.
But Christmas morning, my heart softened. Maybe I am concentrating too much on what God is asking of me and not enough on what He’s given me. Was my relinquishing everything unreasonable? Of course not. He gave more than everything. As Romans 8 says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Things like peace that’s profound. A settled soul. Rock-solid contentment.
As I focused on Christmas’s meaning, I realized the best gift I could give Him and others was myself. My mother didn’t want a new dress; she wanted to see me smile. My father didn’t need a new bridle for his horse; he needed his daughter to laugh. Jay didn’t need another sweater; she needed to see me grab hold of hope.
What about you? What gifts from your heart — the ones you can’t buy — can you give?
Lord God, help me to know what heart gifts to give to You and others. Then provide me with the courage to do it.
Blessings,
Joni and Friends
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