“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”—Acts 20:35
Knowing the season of “More! More! More!” was quickly approaching, I decided to at least try grounding the kids a little before the blitz began. I thought the beatitudes (blessed are the meek, for they shall…) would be a good place to start. The Message translates a portion of the beatitudes that’s hard to beat.
You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are–no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.–Matthew 5:5-6
Now, how to make our children, and quite frankly myself, believe we could be “proud owners” of NOTHING. I mean, if you can’t play with, read or wear it, it’s nothing, right? How does one find contentment outside of everything that CAN be bought? What about the toy motorcycle? The ball? The stuffed animals? The books? The clothes? Bu-bu-bu-but…?!
Once again, I find myself learning lessons from God through two of my greatest teachers, Andrea and Michael. I gave tokens of love by giving them spare change to put in “the Bell Ringers’ buckets” outside the stores. I had a duty to set a good example to them, you understand. The kids brought their whole piggy banks one day “to give to the poor, Mom!” Where’s my heart if I can’t give until it becomes a true sacrifice? Here I’d been telling them, “It’s more blessed to give than to receive,” yet they were the ones to live it out.
I was really proud of a treasure box of memories I’d made for my friend, complete with an original poem on beautiful paper, a beautifully hand-decorated (by me, of course) paper mâché lid, and full of mementos of laughs we’ve shared through the years. In the course of making this gift (you can’t buy memories, so I was on the right track…right?), my kids “got in the way” by…Heaven forbid…needing lunch, sounding out words in a book, reaching something that was too high, etc. I told them to find something to do.
Andrea decided to make her own gift by drawing a picture of the manger scene, complete with a lamb. “Jesus is the Lamb of God, Mom!” Michael also drew a picture, only it was of a “dark cave with a stone, because Jesus died for our sins.” It seemed while I buried myself in the frenzy of the season, my kids still retained the real meaning behind it.
God gave us a tremendous gift when Jesus was born. He have us access to it when Jesus died and rose to life. The gift is free and promises us eternity. We can’t buy it, no matter how many sales we hit. When we’re told it’s more blessed to give than to receive, there’s nothing in this world I could give back to God that would pay for the gift He gave me. That is what He asks me, and you, to give others. Not just at Christmas, but the whole year through. Give our love. Give our time. Give our heart. Give our attention. Give our talents. Give from what we have freely been given. Give when we KNOW we could never be paid back. When we can give like that, we will find ourselves bursting from the best meal we could ever eat…the divine nourishment and sustenance only Jesus can give.
Merry CHRISTmas!!
“Freely you have received, freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.”—Matthew 10:8-10
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