‘Tis the Season

‘Tis the Season… the season where we threaten our kids if they don’t obey, they aren’t getting any presents for Christmas! Ha! Maybe that’s just at our house. The honest truth is, we are going to give presents to our kids, whether they deserve them or not. Sure we threaten them, but when Christmas Day comes, there will be presents under the tree. Why? Because we love our children and want to do good things for them, even if they don’t deserve it.

Jesus Talks about Good Gifts

Jesus was talking to his disciples about prayer, and He talks about them giving gifts to their children.

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Luke 11:13

I love how blunt Jesus is. Remember, He is talking to his disciples, not the Pharisees. Yet he calls his disciples evil! He says even you, who are evil, choose to give good gifts to your children. How much more does your Heavenly Father want to give good gifts to those who ask of Him?

Surprised at God’s Gifts

So many times we don’t expect God to do good things for us. We are surprised when He sends a good gift our way. Why? Probably because we don’t think we deserve it. Yet, God says repeatedly that He loves giving His children gifts.

Sometimes it feels like God isn’t sending any gifts our way. Maybe it’s because we aren’t looking for them or we’re looking for them in the wrong places. We are looking for His gifts in our bank account, at our job, from friends. Maybe He is showering us with gifts, but we are too busy and consumed to notice them.

God’s Gifts All Around Us

God has given us so many good gifts, and Christmas time is a good time to purposefully look for them. When you do, you will see they are all around you.

It’s the family that sits around the table with you on Christmas day. It’s the warm home and bed that you will sleep in tonight. It’s the joy on your kids’ faces on Christmas morning when they open their presents- presents that God provided the money to buy. It’s sipping hot chocolate while looking at Christmas lights. It’s setting up the Christmas tree and decorating the house while Christmas music plays. It’s the joy of seeing friends at the holidays that you haven’t seen in a while. It’s the break from the busyness and stress of work to enjoy time to relax. It’s in reading the Christmas story and being reminded that we have all of this because of a baby in a manger.

Christmas is full of God’s gifts to us. If you choose to look, you will find them all around you. During this Christmas season, let’s choose to look for these gifts and thank God for them. Enjoy the small blessings of His favor all around you. If you want a great Christmas book to remind you of the wonders of Christmas, grab a copy of Matt’s book Chase the Wonder: Stories of Christmas to Fill Our Hearts with Hope. I am enjoying reading a chapter each morning after I finish my Bible reading and journaling.

If you want some inspiration to create Christmas memories with your family, check out these posts- Family Christmas Series: #1 Reading Basket or Family Christmas Series: #2 Looking at Lights.