The Reason

As I'm standing in the aisles of Target last night, attempting to find the perfect gift for my smallest child I look around and see toys strewn out all over the floor, consumers bustling to get around other consumers, children eyeing toys with greedy sparkles in their faces, workers trying their darndest to keep things in order... A thought occurred to me. It wasn't a thought I haven't had before. Just one that comes and goes at any given moment, usually when I'm in a spot of pressure or inconvenience. What is the REASON for this?

Here's the reason as I see it: We don't give gifts because it's better to give than receive. That's a nice notion, but it misses the mark a little bit. We give BECAUSE WE HAVE received. We have received into this world a gift greater than any earthly gift - the gift of a Savior. This time a year we celebrate that gift by remembering our loved ones with earthly gifts. That's also a nice notion. But wouldn't it be nicer yet to share the gift as it was originally intended? To share one another in love and peace? To remember that without Jesus, our lives would be one futile attempt of selfishness from start to finish only to end with eternity separated from God?

Find a loved one and remind them of the reason for Christmas - That CHRIST came to us as a gift. A free gift that we don't earn or deserve. That cannot be exchanged or refunded by anything greater. That does not come with stipulations or conditions, only a life-long bumper to bumper extended warranty.