The Perfect Gift
The turkey has been eaten, the presents all opened and soon it will be time to dismantle the tree and take down the decorations. All the rushing about in the run up to Christmas and the excitement of the day itself are in the past. Now things are calmer and, especially with the current lockdown, a lot less busy. I find the week between Christmas and New Year a good time to reflect on the past and think about the future.
One thing I have been thinking about this week is presents. Parents are well aware of the stress we face when searching for that perfect gift. The questions we ask, is it something they want, something they need, is it the right time to give it, will it end up sitting in a corner forgotten about about by New Year.
I used to spend all year trying to find those special gifts for my children. I wanted to get it just right. To see the joy on their faces when they came down on Christmas morning. I like to think most years I got it right, at least with some of them.
However, no matter how happy they where on the day to get that yearned for toy, even that Tracy Island playset they had been asking for for years, the majority of those presents are long forgotten, the toys have been given away or binned. The clothes out grown or worn out. The games consoles now obsolete. What seemed like the perfect gift at the time it was given brought only temporary happiness
There is, however, one Christmas gift, given by a loving father, that is truly perfect. A gift that was planned for millennia before it was given. A gift that all of us desperately need. A gift that will always bring us great joy, no matter how long we have it or how many difficulties life throws us. A gift that is timeless.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
That gift is the one God gave to the world on that first Christmas, His son. Jesus, who came into the world as a baby. Jesus, who was God made flesh. Who came to earth to live among those he created. To live a sinless life on earth and to die a death on the cross. To die so that he could take the punishment that we deserve. Who rose again and is alive today.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
This amazing, wonderful gift is the most important thing we could ever need or want. And it is being offered to each and every one of us freely. All we need to do is to accept it, to accept Jesus as our saviour. To kneel down before our God and ask. for it.
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15
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