do you ever have trouble finding a gift for someone for christmas? you wonder the mall for hours, searching in every store, trying to find something that might spark that person's interest. no luck at one mall leads to you travelling to another mall...and then another...and then another....
i mean, why not, right?! doesn't everyone love the hustle and bustle of malls during the christmas season? this season sure brings out the best in everyone...people shoving, yelling, and fighting over that last nintendo wii or i-pod touch makes me think of 'jolly' and 'giving' and 'thankful'. do you get that feeling too?
but somehow, we all manage to get into the mall and find those gifts for people we love.
for many of us, after hours of searching, we find a gift, but then question ourselves. 'is this the perfect gift?' this is a legit question. nobody wants to disappoint a loved one on christmas! we then have to find another gift, and then compare, to see which one really is 'perfect'. after debating, we ask someone else for a second opinion, who usually gives us the answer, 'both are very nice!'
'but which one is perfect?!?!' we want to yell out.
at the end of a very long day, we end up getting both gifts, hoping that one of them will suffice.
christmas morning comes along, the gifts are open, and what do you know...the person is ecstatic when they open the gifts we give them!
SUCCESS!! perfection has been found it seems....
but what are these gifts, really?! are they really 'perfect'?
some of the things we receive on christmas are things we need. some of them are things we don't need. some will hide in the attic for years, probably never to be seen again. and some will become outdated within a few years, if not a few months, and be tossed out.
could it be that these gifts aren't really 'perfect'?
well, it seems to me that we have already received the perfect gift. in fact, we received this gift long ago. that gift is Jesus.
He may not have seemed like much to people at first...just a 'baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger' (Luke 2:12). little did they know that a Savior had been born!
yes, Jesus is by far the perfect gift that God gave to us long ago. and He is still with us....everyday! He is what we need and will never become outdated! sure, some people 'hide Him in the attic', but that is not where He is meant to be!
so remember this christmas, that 'perfect' gift can't be found in a mall or store. the perfect gift has already been given to us!
don't forget what the christmas season is really about! JESUS...the perfect gift that God gave to us!
