It is no accident that the stores are jammed this time of year with last-minute Christmas shoppers. I don't think it is because most of us are procrastinators by nature. I don't think it is because shoppers have learned that the closer to Christmas, the better the discounts. No, I think it is because we keep looking for the best gift ever for that special someone.
When I was young, I would invariably wait until the very last minute to buy a gift for my mom, knowing full well that there was nothing I could possibly give her that could show her the full measure of my love. Now, it is the gift for my husband, Roger, that causes me to wait until the very last minute. Oh, sure, I have lots of ideas, but somehow I just keep waiting for something better to explode into my consciousness that I couldn't possibly have imagined the other 364 days a year.
Then I begin re-examining the remainder of my gift list. Those presents are already in the mail or under the tree, but were they the right gifts for the people who are dearest to me? After all, these relationships are priceless!
You want so much for the people on the receiving end of those special gifts to appreciate the love and thoughtfulness that went into your selections. If you are past the age of 12, you know that it really is more blessed to give than to receive.
Then, invariably, after all the hustle and bustle and endless preparation, my thoughts turn to the reason for the season, the anniversary of the date we set aside to observe the birth of Jesus Christ. He was born, lived a sinless life, suffered and died to give me and each and every one of us truly the very best gift ever!
No doubt you sacrificed a lot to obtain the perfect gift for the person you love the most – but what if that special someone simply left your gift under the tree unopened? How would that make you feel?
I can only imagine the hurt that would be experienced and is experienced by our Creator when that happens. "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
Two of the fastest-growing markets are health foods that are supposed to prolong our life and beauty products to preserve our youthful appearance. But try as we may, we cannot hold back the inevitable aging process.
I waited a long time before I opened God's precious gift. I had the idea that if I accepted this gift, it would spoil all the wonderful plans I had for my life and it might spoil all the fun I hoped to enjoy along the way. I could not have been more wrong.
Jesus said:
"I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
"Take my yoke upon you for my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30).
Somehow I had missed that part. And what about, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4)?
Now, I will admit that, since opening this gift, the desires of my heart have changed somewhat, but not entirely. God gives each of us very special gifts and abilities. We were created to love Him and to use those gifts to the fullest. When you open your gift, God will come in and use you beyond anything you could ever imagine. To borrow a line from the "Star Wars" movie franchise, it's like jumping off to light speed!
Now some choose to wait to open their gift until their life is nearly over, on their death bed, so to speak. But no one knows exactly when death will come. Even if you could time things just right, what a shame to miss the exciting ride God has planned for the rest of your life.
So, if you or someone you love hasn't opened this gift, perhaps you could give yourself or your loved one a Bible. For the skeptic, you might include a DVD of the 2017 film, "A Case for Christ" starring Mike Vogel, Erika Christensen and Faye Dunaway, based on the investigations of (then) atheist Chicago Tribune reporter Lee Strobel who was out to disprove his wife's Christian faith, or the book on which the movie was based.
It might just turn out to be your best gift ever!