The Gift

CHRISTMAS!  It is here.  An abundance of memories, tradition, family gatherings, brightly lit trees, the mixed aromas of baking & evergreen, opening & sending cards, gifts.  When the boys were young, we would set aside a day when we would go as a family to buy gifts for one another. The day was special, as it always included the rare treats of dinner out, a movie together, driving around looking at Christmas lights, & the trip to the elaborately decorated mall & dept store where the “elves” would help the boys find just the right gift for everyone. ($5 limit!)  One year, as we drove home, it began to snow, (this was Tennessee, and snow in Dec was an exceptional delight!).  We stopped at the local college, where a massive evergreen tree was brightly lit.  It was very quiet, the snow falling in fat flakes, the ground & trees being quickly transformed into a landscape of white. Drawn to the base of the tree, under the tall branches, the wonder of lights & snow filtering through the fir, we were enchanted.  We sang Christmas carols, (and we do not sound like the von Trapp family!) but it was an exclusive moment.  The gift of the evening was amplified when, a week later, David brought home a picture he had drawn in school of the tree, the snow, the lights, the four of us.  He had been asked to illustrate the best gift he had received.

I received a tremendous gift two weeks ago.  Due to an allergic reaction to the Interferon (think: thousands of mosquito bites begging to be scratched!) my oncologist recommended we stop the treatment for a few weeks.  My first reaction was disappointment; somewhat counter-intuitive, I suppose.  The thought that the last three months of treatment & its outcome would be diminished if interrupted was overcome by the sudden realization that I was being given a GIFT.  Three splendid weeks of no side effects! Though this reaction has not been without challenges, the contrast of feeling energetic, clear headed, and WELL is remarkable.  Three weeks, at Christmas, feeling great……it has GOD written all over it.

God is in the business of giving gifts.  From Genesis to Revelation, His Word overflows with the testimony of His generous nature. Beyond reading it, I know it …..being a recipient of His profuse outpouring of blessings & gifts.  “Every generous act of giving and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father who made the heavenly lights, in whom there is no inconsistency or shifting shadow.”  His gifts spring from the unchanging, unconditional  love that is synonymous with His name. 

I’ve thought a lot about gifts lately…..the kind expressions of care that have arrived, without asking, to our home over these past many months.  The consideration & compassion from which they stem has overwhelmed Chip and me.  It is the love, the thought, the message behind the gift that touches us in an unforgettable way.  

My niece, Lacey, gave from her heart.   When she was a young teen, she was in the car with her mother when they approached a red light.  There, on the corner, was a homeless man: unshaven, dirty, asking for money.  Lacey asked my sister if they could please stop.  Pulling over to the curb, reaching for a few bills, she watched as Lacey took the money, walked over to the beggar, and put it in his hands.   Then Lacey stepped towards the man, put her arms around him & hugged him.  It was a gift from her heart, & the love behind it is indelible. 

CHRISTMAS!   It is here.  It IS the celebration of the birth of Christ…..God’s greatest gift, from His heart of love.  The well known verse, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, so that you and I would not perish, but have eternal life.”  (Jn 3:16)  “Eternal life, the gift of God  in Christ Jesus, “  as Paul states,  is offered at the excruciating  cost of His Son.  The smallness of my mind cannot comprehend a virgin birth, God in human form, His resurrection, nor eternity.   But my heart & mind receive and grasp it in the gift of faith.  

  

Next week,  the Interferon injections will resume, yet the received gift & the love behind it is clear, &  I celebrate this Christmas, grateful, humbled, & joyful for the God who brings such a gift….& eternally more.  MERRY, BLESSED CHRISTMAS TO ALL!