Gift Season

To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.

1 Corinthians 12:7

It’s here, it’s upon us, one can’t miss the fact we are smack dab in the middle of gift season.  It seems this year it started earlier than ever and we all know it plans to run strong right through Christmas Eve. Everybody needs a gift, everybody wants a gift ... let the games begin.

Maybe this Advent season would be a good time to unplug from this madness and take a look at the gifts we have already been given.  Before we were born our Lord packed our little suitcase with all the gifts we would need for our journey.  Complicating that journey is our human tendency to lay our plan over top of God’s plan for us.  And that’s what makes those Christmas sale ads seem so darn appealing.

When our plan bubbles to the front it is easy to understand why God’s gifts such as humor, compassion, leadership, a servant heart, healing, faithfulness, understanding, teaching, listening and quiet times – to name but a few – can pale when compared to big screen TVs, designer clothes, laptop computers, or the newest Playstation.  But when we stop to think about it, what gifts do we think will still be functioning and in style years from now?  God’s gifts or the gifts we found under the tree?

On our journey each of us has already discovered and put to use some of our gifts from God.  Let us not forget though, God is visionary and He is not done.  We all have gifts still packed away in our suitcase waiting to be opened at a time in our life when we will be called to put the new gift to use, either for our own use or to help others, as we grow His Kingdom.  When that time comes, and we discover our new gift, you can rest assured the gift will be just what we need.  It will be timely, appropriate, and it will fit us perfectly.

We are called to open our God-given gifts with the same zeal and joy we experience while opening our gifts from under the tree.   We are to embrace and use these gifts with all our heart because He gave them to us knowing they fit us perfectly.  You will never find a “gift receipt” attached to one of God’s gifts.  These gifts are uniquely ours and, when used in the same love they were given, these gifts will bring us closer to being the person God created us to be.  But first, we need to open the gifts.

We are blessed with the season of Advent as a time to prepare our hearts for the birth of our Lord and Savior.  Maybe a good exercise this Advent would be for us to focus on opening/naming one of our God-given gifts each day of the season.  From the simple gift of our warm and caring smile to our gift to heal, and everything in between – claim it, name it, and list it.  One a day.  Come Christmas morning we will all be amazed at the lists we created.  Reading that list to ourselves will help us to see we are a gifted and blessed people.  And do you know what the best part is?  There’s plenty more gifts tucked into our suitcase just waiting to be discovered, opened, and used.

May you and yours have a gift-filled and blessed Christmas season.

Wendy & Mark Mitchell