The Tale of Two Gift Givers

Once upon a Christmas there were two good hearted women who set out to give good gifts to those they loved. They were both kindly and generous, but they were very different in the manner they approached gift giving.

The first giver prepared for Christmas for most of the year. She observed the interests, loves and needs of those on her gift list and whenever she was out shopping, she would always have her eye open for something that would be just right for them. Because she knew her loved ones so well, she was very discriminating in what she bought for them. If it wasn't just the right color or style, she wouldn't purchase it. Sometimes, unable to find the perfect gift, she made it herself. Because she enjoyed this process throughout the year, it was rarely a major strain on her time or budget. When Christmas finally arrived, all that was left to do was to wrap her year-long accumulation of loving treasures.

The second giver, no less loving than the first, saved her Christmas shopping for Thanksgiving Day. It was then that she made her annual purchase of a newspaper--light on news and laden with sales ads. The next morning, stores would throw open their doors well before sunrise with the biggest sales of the year and she wasn't about to miss out. Every Thanksgiving afternoon was spent pouring over the ads, clipping them out and organizing them for the most efficient attack on the stores on the Friday we've come to call "black." By Friday afternoon she was home again with trunk full, wallet empty, body exhausted and heart happy. She could pick up the last few things she needed between now and Christmas, and with pleasure she looked forward to the expressions on faces when her recipients opened the surprises she would have waiting for them under the tree.

At first glance one might think that the first gift giver is superior to the second because she planned for the whole year while the second conquered the task in a day. While there may be a measure of benefit gained by the year-long shopper, the reality is that the one-day conqueror was quite effective in gift giving as well. The year-long versus the one-day method was more a matter of the gift-givers' personalities than a superiority of approach.

The real difference between the two givers was more subtle. The first gift-giver started with the interests and needs of the recipient while the second gift giver started with the sales ads. The first gift giver took the heart of the recipient with her to the store and sought to match it. The second gift giver mentally took the sales ads to the recipients and sought a match.

"Oh, iPods are on sale. I think Rick would like one. That's what I'll get him. And look at these cute hats, I could see Amanda in one of those. This will be fun."

I'm really not trying to elevate one form of gift giving over another in this little meditation. I'm simply pointing out that gift giving is as individual as the personalities involved. We bring our own style and personality to the art. Whether we like it or not, the fact is that how we go about giving gifts reveals a great deal about who we are.

The same could be said for God. How He went about giving us The Gift of Christmas says a great deal about Him. He intended to give us this Gift even before the creation of the world. He spared no expense and when the timing was perfect (Gal. 4:4), He gave freely--completely out of love. He is good. He is good indeed!

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" II Corinthians 9:15

Thanks be to God for being the incomparable gift giver.

A blessed Christmas to all of you,
John

PS I realize that there are other types of gift givers, including the ones who haven't even started yet--but hey, Christmas is a whole week away, what's the hurry?! See ya in the check out line.