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Giving up to give


Giving gifts at Christmas time, or any other time of the year for that matter, is a beautiful way to express love, don’t you think?  To be a perfect givER, someone who “knows” what to give someone PERFECTLY and then following through, is something I strive for.  My friends and family will tell you I have not yet attained the title (and probably never will), but you can’t blame me for trying, I suppose.

I LOVE to give gifts!  Recently, after a midnight excursion, hunting for bargains and waiting in lines for hourS, my niece told me that she thought that THAT was what “giving was all about, going out and trying to find exactly what the person wants at the best price, no matter what it takes, or how long it takes.”  

So the more work it takes, the better the gift – or should I say, "more meaningful, more PERFECT"?  What do you think?  It was obvious the “work” of bargain hunting that evening (and morning) was not fun, but really, to find a loved one something THEY REALLY WANT and save money – does that make the gift more meaningful or does it just save us money?

It’s the thought that counts – don’t you think?  Was the thought, “love”, or was it saving money?  Was it the givEE being focused on here, or was it the gift?

John 1:17 says:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

God’s perfect gift – Jesus Christ – given to us at Christmas – was all about the givEE (us!).  His gift of love, His thought of us, had only to do with us – not Him. 

For the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (my emphasis)

God putting us first, giving up to give us.  Now THAT’s a loving thought!

I want to close with the lyrics of a not-so-well-known song but one of my favorites at Christmas - IT’S THE THOUGHT by Twila Paris (I couldn’t figure out how to link up YouTube so you could hear it L) :

And a loving thought sends us out to find
Something special for someone on our mind
And we think of friends and family
As we hang our gifts on the Christmas tree
It's the thought that counts when the thought is love
It's the thought that counts when you're thinking of
How the money flows in vast amounts
When the thought is love, it's the thought that counts

And a loving thought sent a snow white lamb
To a little town known as Bethlehem
And the little lamb thought of you and me
As He hung His gift on the Christmas tree
It's the thought that counts when the thought is love
It's the thought that counts when you're thinking of
How the money flows in vast amounts
It's the thought that counts, when the thought is love

Think of the precious gift He gave - think of the life He thought to save
And the blood flowed in vast amounts
When the thought is love, it's the thought that counts

May our hearts see . . . . just how much God gave, so perfectly!

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