Imagine how you would feel if you and your loved one had a harsh disagreement; painful words flew back and forth until you separated into different parts of the house or maybe even different parts of town. The next day you received a beautiful bouquet of flowers; you hurried to open the card, hoping to see words of comfort and unending love. As you tore open the card, unfamiliar handwriting assaulted your hopes; a friendly neighbor just thought you might need some cheer for your day. Who has given the gift makes all the difference in the value of the gift.
We give and receive gifts at Christmas and, again, the giver makes all the difference. We tend to hope for something special from those closest to us. My friend and her children had no money one Christmas so they picked a special scripture for each other, and that became one of their most loving and memorable holidays, so it's not about the money; it is about the love from the giver.
We choose this time of year to celebrate the most special Giver of all. He was rich, but He became poor for our sakes. The hundreds of billions of suns in our Milky Way Galaxy and the hundreds of billions of galaxies in the known universe capture my imagination. Are there other worlds out there? Are there other creatures like us who never had Lucifer (Satan) on their planet and never rebelled against their Creator? Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. How many adoring worlds, that honoured Him, did He leave in order to come to our planet? That may just be fantasy but even if we take the description of all of the angelic hosts around His Father's throne and the inhabitants of heaven, He left a lot to bring us His gift.
We can see his character and nature (personality) by looking at what He made on Earth. If I could give each of you a gift, I would give you a peaceful place, a warm cup of something to drink and a long stretch of time to think about all the animals, plants, foods, eco-systems, and friends that He made. I love His personality. What kind of God can come up with a striped zebra, a trumpeting elephant, a smiling dolphin and a chattering chipmunk? Nothing is boring or dull. Variety and extravagance seem to be His building motto.
The One who made it all came to our planet to give us the gift of life; He gave His life to set us free from the grip of His enemy, Satan. He purchased our ability and opportunity to choose between light and darkness, between life and death. That in itself is a wonderful gift. And I am thankful for such a gift; yet there is one gift that I cannot comprehend. The Creator of the universe died so that we could know Him as close friends and have His Father as our Father. We can talk to Him and listen to what He says to each one of us personally through the Holy Spirit. He did not come because we were pure and great. The Bible says that He came when we were still sinners. He came for the lost, the broken, and people like me who have failed. He wants to show us His glory. He wants to share His inheritance with those who love Him. Christ's love for us was expensive; it cost Him His life.
Now we have the opportunity to do something with His gift. Jesus said, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you" (John 15:12). I don't know about you, but this is a project I can work on in the future, and I will definitely need His help. God bless you as you walk with our Creator through whatever challenges and joys come your way in the New Year!
Sue Carlisle grew up on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. An enrolled member of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, her passion is to encourage people to look at creation and see our awesome Creator. Sue is author of Walking with the Creator Along the Narrow Road. She and her husband, Wes, now live in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
