One Last Christmas Story

Back into the swing of things...writing for the Dordt Diamond again :-)

       I want to tell you a story of how my family Christmas went this year: After a nice dinner together, we all gathered in the living room to open gifts. Each of us would open one gift at a time and continue to rotate through youngest to oldest. After each gift was opened, the appropriate words of gratitude were given and even “This is exactly what I needed!” or “I’m so excited to go try this out!” Every receiver of gifts made sure the giver heard how thankful he or she was.  
       After all the gifts were opened, it was time for my favorite part of the night. We get to hide our new gifts! Some of us have gotten pretty good at finding the most creative spots that no one will ever be able to find them again. It’s so fun. After that, we all gathered for one last glass of eggnog and made sure that each of our gift givers had heard how thankful we were for the gifts we received from them. We went to bed dreaming of creative places where we might hide our gifts next Christmas.
       Does this story seem absurd? Well, good because it’s definitely not true—at least not about our Christmas gifts. In case my satirical writing isn’t as well-written as intended, I’ll try to be a little clearer. How often do we say thankyou to God for all the gifts He has given us? For friends and family, for our education, for our financial blessings, for our ease of access to church or other means of spiritual growth, for our abundance of clothing and food …the list goes on and on. 

      After returning from developing countries, I am frequently asked the question: “So I bet you’ve thanked God for the blessings you have back here, huh?” What am I supposed to say to that? Yes, I have, but is that all that I need—a renewed desire to say thankyou? What about showing my thankfulness? I hope you can tell from my story, it is quite the contradiction when we say thankyou but don’t actually use our God-given blessings. I guess actions really do speak louder than words. If I tell my mom how excited I am to get a new sweater but it stays in my closet all winter long, will she believe me? If I tell God how thankful I am for my financial security but I keep all the money to myself, failing to trust that God will provide, will He believe me? 

      God has given each of us specific gifts for a specific reason. I was not randomly born into a relatively wealthy family. I did not just happen to grow up in America rather than Haiti. God, by His grace, has chosen to give me these specific blessings for a reason. I don’t know about you, but I intend to actually show God how thankful I am by putting these gifts into use. Easier said than done? Probably—but that’s where total surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit comes in. With God, ALL things are possible. 
Consider it a belated New Year’s Resolution.