The Holy One calls to me this morning. Christmas is over for another year and the shopping fervor gives way to the next aspect of traditional Christmas: buyer's remorse and receiver's regret.
With so much emphasis on the material aspect of the celebration we call Christmas, I wonder why we are all so "driven" to give. We will go into debt, compete for the last of a certain item on the shelf and make every effort to get that "one" thing we have to have, only to give it away.
Humanity is surely fascinating to observe and I wonder about the bigger lesson to be learned in the watching. The Holy One shares a bit of understanding from His knowledge of the created.
Holiness speaks to my heart, "Humanity was created in the image of the Ultimate Giver. You struggle with that inside yourself and it effervesces in different ways."
Cascades of thought stream out of that Truth and I receive his amazing Grace. I have been thinking about the hard reality of the back end of our zeal but not really contemplating upon what drives us at the base of our gift-giving frenzy.
In the beginning God gave. He created man and gave him the breath of life. He created the Garden of Eden and then Eve and gave them to the man. He created the relationship called marriage and a desire for a family and then gave the couple children. The fallen world, in sin and deprivation, needed to be rescued and He gave His only Son. (John 3:16)
Jesus came into the world as the exact representation of the Father. Knowing the penalty for man's sin, AKA death and separation from the Father, Jesus, in an act of incredible sacrifice gave His life for all. Not wanting to leave us as orphans in a hostile world, Jesus then gave His Holy Spirit as our constant indwelling Companion and Counselor.
Our greatest human desires are built upon our deepest human needs. God is the ultimate benefactor of all we could ever ask or hope for. I never really made the connection between the Creator Giver and the created's drive to give.
As in all aspects of life, perspective is key to successfully navigating the conditions we meet and emotions we have to deal with. Looking back at all the years of Christmas "guilt" and the mixed emotions of those days, I understand the point the Holy One is making to my heart.
One of the most stressful nightmares I had as a parent, was running helter skelter on Christmas eve to find things to put under the Christmas tree for my kids. To be empty handed, with 6 sets of little eyes looking for love in the form of material gifts from a jolly old soul called St Nick, always ruined the dream of a plush worldy Christmas to remember. Guilt can mar any Christmas and sorrow can over-ride the real joy of the celebration if we are not careful.
I look within and with the help of the Holy One, see that the struggle comes not to depress the giving, but rather to define the gifts. If we look at the world's priorities, the best gifts are the latest fads in clothes, games, cars, etc. But in truth all those things rip, break and fade with age.
The really important gifts we have to give to others are the intangible ones of kindness, gentleness, love, joy. The most long-lasting gifts are those that have no expiration date and are incorruptible by time.
The knowledge of the Holy that we possess and, by His Spirit, is now ours to give to our family and others, is the One Gift that keeps on giving and lasts, not only for a lifetime here on earth but throughout eternity to come.
As a parent or a friend, the greatest gifts we have to offer are the ones we fail to recognize as the most valuable ones we can give. Things like:
A kind word of encouragement during a long hard season of woe.
A hope expressed to someone who is about to give up on life.
A smile that tells a child how much they are loved.
A warm hug for someone who hasn't felt a human touch in a long, long time.
And most importantly, a respect and reverence modeled to others, for the One who gives us our next breath and heartbeat.
For God so love the world that He gave His one and only Son.......
God is the ultimate Giver and because we are created in His image, we are "givers" too. God's best gifts are imperishable. Can we say the same about ours?
Looking at our giving from God's end, there comes a fresh and new priority that bears no guilt and brings great satisfaction to our gift-giving nature. The truly important gifts we have to give are not dependent on our earthly bank account, but rather on our Heavenly one.
Living in the material world, the challenge of Christmas, for a Christian, is the same one we face every other day as humans made in the Glorious image of God: To represent our Lord in a flesh body where lust and love are opposite ends of the same soul.
I, for one, want to leave all the striving and "Christmas proformance anxiety" behind. My desire is to be a "giver" with the same heart and Spirit as my Heavenly Father and my Lord.
God's greatest Gift was the one we needed the most, the Savior of the World and to us, God gave His only Son. Then, Jesus, God's Only Son, representing the Ultimate Giver, gave His life in order to rescue ours.
The Bonus Gift of His Holy Spirit, is the power within that I now have and that which will transform me into a "giver" like my Lord.
Since the gifts we value and the gifts we give seem to impact the peace of this Holy season, it seems like a great thing to find a promise out of God's Word for each person on my list and speak it out over their life in the coming year.
I understand the Holy One is not indicting my choice of tangible gifts for those I love, but rather opening my eyes to the much, much, more that I have to offer and helping me to arrange my priorities according to His.
For the lost souls among those on our list, the Truth about the Babe in the Manger is a perfect gift. For those who know Him and are struggling with the trials of life here, God's Word and His promises are gifts we can pass along. Prayer is the method of delivery we can use to transport our gifts to the ones we love.
God is the Ultimate Giver and we were created in His image to be "givers" too. The question then becomes, "What are the gifts we are choosing to give?"
The Holy Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
With so much emphasis on the material aspect of the celebration we call Christmas, I wonder why we are all so "driven" to give. We will go into debt, compete for the last of a certain item on the shelf and make every effort to get that "one" thing we have to have, only to give it away.
Humanity is surely fascinating to observe and I wonder about the bigger lesson to be learned in the watching. The Holy One shares a bit of understanding from His knowledge of the created.
Holiness speaks to my heart, "Humanity was created in the image of the Ultimate Giver. You struggle with that inside yourself and it effervesces in different ways."
Cascades of thought stream out of that Truth and I receive his amazing Grace. I have been thinking about the hard reality of the back end of our zeal but not really contemplating upon what drives us at the base of our gift-giving frenzy.
In the beginning God gave. He created man and gave him the breath of life. He created the Garden of Eden and then Eve and gave them to the man. He created the relationship called marriage and a desire for a family and then gave the couple children. The fallen world, in sin and deprivation, needed to be rescued and He gave His only Son. (John 3:16)
Jesus came into the world as the exact representation of the Father. Knowing the penalty for man's sin, AKA death and separation from the Father, Jesus, in an act of incredible sacrifice gave His life for all. Not wanting to leave us as orphans in a hostile world, Jesus then gave His Holy Spirit as our constant indwelling Companion and Counselor.
Our greatest human desires are built upon our deepest human needs. God is the ultimate benefactor of all we could ever ask or hope for. I never really made the connection between the Creator Giver and the created's drive to give.
As in all aspects of life, perspective is key to successfully navigating the conditions we meet and emotions we have to deal with. Looking back at all the years of Christmas "guilt" and the mixed emotions of those days, I understand the point the Holy One is making to my heart.
One of the most stressful nightmares I had as a parent, was running helter skelter on Christmas eve to find things to put under the Christmas tree for my kids. To be empty handed, with 6 sets of little eyes looking for love in the form of material gifts from a jolly old soul called St Nick, always ruined the dream of a plush worldy Christmas to remember. Guilt can mar any Christmas and sorrow can over-ride the real joy of the celebration if we are not careful.
I look within and with the help of the Holy One, see that the struggle comes not to depress the giving, but rather to define the gifts. If we look at the world's priorities, the best gifts are the latest fads in clothes, games, cars, etc. But in truth all those things rip, break and fade with age.
The really important gifts we have to give to others are the intangible ones of kindness, gentleness, love, joy. The most long-lasting gifts are those that have no expiration date and are incorruptible by time.
The knowledge of the Holy that we possess and, by His Spirit, is now ours to give to our family and others, is the One Gift that keeps on giving and lasts, not only for a lifetime here on earth but throughout eternity to come.
As a parent or a friend, the greatest gifts we have to offer are the ones we fail to recognize as the most valuable ones we can give. Things like:
A kind word of encouragement during a long hard season of woe.
A hope expressed to someone who is about to give up on life.
A smile that tells a child how much they are loved.
A warm hug for someone who hasn't felt a human touch in a long, long time.
And most importantly, a respect and reverence modeled to others, for the One who gives us our next breath and heartbeat.
For God so love the world that He gave His one and only Son.......
God is the ultimate Giver and because we are created in His image, we are "givers" too. God's best gifts are imperishable. Can we say the same about ours?
Looking at our giving from God's end, there comes a fresh and new priority that bears no guilt and brings great satisfaction to our gift-giving nature. The truly important gifts we have to give are not dependent on our earthly bank account, but rather on our Heavenly one.
Living in the material world, the challenge of Christmas, for a Christian, is the same one we face every other day as humans made in the Glorious image of God: To represent our Lord in a flesh body where lust and love are opposite ends of the same soul.
I, for one, want to leave all the striving and "Christmas proformance anxiety" behind. My desire is to be a "giver" with the same heart and Spirit as my Heavenly Father and my Lord.
God's greatest Gift was the one we needed the most, the Savior of the World and to us, God gave His only Son. Then, Jesus, God's Only Son, representing the Ultimate Giver, gave His life in order to rescue ours.
The Bonus Gift of His Holy Spirit, is the power within that I now have and that which will transform me into a "giver" like my Lord.
Since the gifts we value and the gifts we give seem to impact the peace of this Holy season, it seems like a great thing to find a promise out of God's Word for each person on my list and speak it out over their life in the coming year.
I understand the Holy One is not indicting my choice of tangible gifts for those I love, but rather opening my eyes to the much, much, more that I have to offer and helping me to arrange my priorities according to His.
For the lost souls among those on our list, the Truth about the Babe in the Manger is a perfect gift. For those who know Him and are struggling with the trials of life here, God's Word and His promises are gifts we can pass along. Prayer is the method of delivery we can use to transport our gifts to the ones we love.
God is the Ultimate Giver and we were created in His image to be "givers" too. The question then becomes, "What are the gifts we are choosing to give?"
The Holy Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
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