The Perfect Gift
Do you remember your all-time favorite Christmas gift as a child? MIne was a Tiny Tears Doll set. It was so awesome that she cried real tears and wet her diapers. LOL! My nephew, Mark David Lawrence, to this day, remembers his favorite gift — it was one of those 60s electronic football games (not computer generated) from my Mom (his Mamaw). It was his dream come true. Those gifts for us were the perfect Christmas gifts!
I keep getting email messages that the subject line reads, “Give your family and friends “THE PERFECT GIFT FOR CHRISTMAS”. I’ve been deleting most of those and not even checking to find out what they meant until yesterday. THE PERFECT GIFT??? A Gift Card. And, I thought, yes, gift cards are great because you can buy anything you want. But, why not just give someone cash? What’s the big deal of the PERFECT GIFT being a Gift Card? Is it perfect if the receiver of the gift card doesn’t need or want anything from that particular store. They just don’t shop there….and then when they get to the store and start looking…..it takes FOREVER to find something there they want to use the gift card for. PERFECT? I don’t think so.
I think you know where I’m headed with that observation. THE PERFECT GIFT? That ONLY PERFECT GIFT we could ever give, is that of HIM, Who is the PERFECT One, Who isn’t a tangible “thing”, but is the ALL in ALL, BEGINNING and END of joy, comfort, peace, life, love, happiness, and life everlasting. He is John 3:16 “For God so LOVED the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son — that whoever believes in Him, would not perish but have everasthig life.”
So how do we give that PERFECT GIFT to others — by giving ourselves as peacemakers, servants, joy-peace-hope bearers, by being LIGHTS that this world so needs and wants. Though Jesus is the ultimate, ever-ready, radiant, source of LIGHT that dispels darkness…..He told us in Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shines to all that are in the house. Even so let YOUR light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Your GIFT this season? YOU and YOUR LIGHT shining brightly so that others will come to know THE PERFECT GIFT — Jesus Christ!