A Matter of Perspective
I hope you all had a joyous and blessed Christmas. I received much more than I deserved that is for certain.
Receiving gifts at Christmas is a long-standing tradition. I remember receiving gifts for as long as I have had conscious memories.
As far back as recorded history goes, people have given gifts to each other.
We typically equate Christmas giving with the birth of Christ. We think of the gifts that were given to the baby Jesus: gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but we may not fully understand why.
Those gifts were things that were expensive and worthy of a king. But they also had deeper meanings.
The three gifts had a spiritual meaning: gold as a symbol of kingship on earth, frankincense (an incense) as a symbol of deity, and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of death.
Very fitting gifts for our Lord and Savior. But did we know then what those gifts meant? Probably not, since many of us don’t know what they mean now. (Well, unless you read the previous paragraphs!)
I didn’t get any of those gifts. Some people probably received gold jewelry and perhaps some sort of perfume or maybe essential oils. Undoubtedly, we didn’t receive those gifts for the same reasons that Jesus did.
One thing that I received was a handmade blanket. It is so warm, but the most important thing about it wasn’t the warmth it provided. It was the special inscription that was embroidered on an inside corner. It reminded me that I am never alone and that Jesus is always with me. That filled my heart with warmth!
Having received that gift, as well as a few others, did not make my Christmas complete.
What made my Christmas complete was the gift of spending time with family.
I hope you were able to have a complete Christmas, too!