The Gifts We Give

We give and receive presents at Christmas as a reminder of the gifts that the Wise Men gave to Jesus: Frankincense, Gold, and Myrrh. The gift of Frankincense demonstrated that people would worship Jesus. People who love Jesus and follow him give gifts to remember the true “Gift” – Jesus.

One of my best friends who attends the same Church I do stopped by yesterday with my Christmas gift, and it got me to thinking, about why we give gifts. The main reason of course is in honor of Jesus, the greatest gift we were ever given, and when someone gives you a gift, something they put a lot of thought into, it’s important to remember that they poured their heart and soul into that.

Seeing ungrateful children or adults complain that they didn’t get the latest gadget, or $300 gift card for Sephora makes me cringe, because the most meaningful gifts are those that are picked out with thought. Gifts like this come from the heart.

Matthew 2:9–12 NIV

“After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. [10] When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. [11] On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. [12] And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”

My loved ones and friends are thoughtful in their gift giving, and they know I appreciate the gifts, because I appreciate the thought behind it, but more importantly I appreciate the person giving the gift.

This particular gift giver is always putting thoughts into the things she gives, the things she does, but honestly this year I was even more touched, because even in her grief she gave, she gave from her heart and soul.

Throughout my life, I have known many strong people. But she is one of the strongest, despite her own grief over the loss of her mother and other loved ones, losses that may break anyone without her relationship with Christ.

Gifts are meaningful, not for their monetary value, but for the people behind them, they are a reminder that God has blessed us with the family we are tied to by familial line, but he gives us another family too, the friends he places in our lives, the friends we can lean on, but more than that the friends who can pray, when we don’t have the words to pray for ourselves.

If you’re frustrated by the commercialism of Christmas, remember that there are still those who give with thought, remembering the greatest gift of all – Jesus!

Copyright Michelle R Kidwell

December.28.2024

A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer. Lucius Annaeus Seneca

*In a world that seems more and more wrapped around the monetary value of a gift, lets think more about the thought the person puts in giving the gift, a gift isn't something that should be done out of obligation, but it is something that should be done out do love, and you can't put a price tag on love.

As I received the gift yesterday, I was as touched by the act of giving as I was, the gift itself. My friend is still grieving, yet she took the time to give!