The Perfect Gift

Here we are …. again, entering the Christmas shopping season. It is interesting to discover the different approaches to Christmas shopping by various people. I know adults who will begin their shopping for next Christmas almost the moment this Christmas is over. I have actually heard someone say, “I’ll get you that for next year” while their friend was opening gifts. On the other extreme you have those who buy gifts at the last possible moment. There is not a lot of time or thought put into the gift or the shopping for the gift. Then somewhere in the middle of those two extremes are the people who spend weeks if not months thinking about the perfect gift to buy for each person on their Christmas shopping list. These people will check all the ads, they will check on-line, they will go from store to store comparing prices, and they go to every possible extreme to make sure the gift they are buying is just perfect.

Once they have found the perfect gift that is only half the experience, next comes finding the perfect way to wrap or present this perfect gift to this special person in their life. They will look for just the right wrapping paper or just the right gift bag and accessorize the bag or the wrapping with the perfect ribbon and bow. Oh, and don’t forget the card. The card may just be the most important part of the gift giving experience. The perfect card along with the perfect gift makes it extremely difficult if not impossible for the receiver to exchange your “perfect” gift, but they will.

I am half way kidding of course, but I do know people who more often than not exchange the gifts given to them for something they really want and/or need. You almost want to tell the person, “Here is cash – get what you want”. As a matter of fact there comes a time when cash or gift cards may be the “perfect” gift for most people.

The older I get the more grateful I am for the one perfect gift I have received. The gift Jesus Christ gave me on the cross is the perfect gift. It is most certainly something I needed and could not buy for myself. Without it I would be lost forever. Without it I would not know the love, grace and mercy of God the Father.

How about you, have you been to the cross and found your perfect gift? This season is all about finding Jesus, but not the one everyone is looking for – you know – the Jesus all wrapped up in blankets in a manger. I like that picture of Jesus, but the view of Jesus that gives you life, hope and joy is the view of him on the cross. So in this season of “Joy to the World” keep looking for Jesus until you find “Amazing Grace” and then and only then will you have “Peace, Perfect Peace”.

Love God. Go Love Others.