Gifts

"Probably the reason we all go so haywire at Christmastime with the endless unrestrained and often silly buying of gifts is that we don't quite know how to put our love into words."  - Harlan Miller

Buying gifts makes me a little crazy!  Don't get me wrong, I love to give gifts, but the commercial madness of the Christmas season makes me uncomfortable.  I find myself trying desperately to find the "right" gift for people who really don't "need" anything. 

The truth is, I want to show the ones closest to me how much I love them and there is no gift able to capture that love.  I do give gifts, but my love is truly shown through the meals I prepare, the surprise SONIC drink I bring home, even by washing and folding clothes.  Sometimes it's just by sitting and listening.

Sacrifice goes hand in hand with Love.

When you get married, you sacrifice things you never dreamed to make a relationship work.

When you have children, you truly sacrifice your needs to meet the needs of your child.

And offering yourself to a friend in need often means sacrificing time, energy and maybe even possessions to help them out.

 The ultimate sacrifice was given for each of us.  And that is what this season is all about.  God sent His Son to earth knowing the pain he would endure in order to save each of us.  His gift was not an afterthought...it wasn't equivalent to a generic gift that can be given to someone at a moment's notice without thought.  It was the gift that keeps on giving.

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."  John 15:13 (NIV)

Today I Am Thankful For:

1.  Dinner by candlelight with the family

2.  Sparkly sweaters

3.  Horseback riding on a cold, clear New Mexico afternoon

4.  Antibiotics

5.  Christmas music via Pandora