Christmas time is here. And everyone knows Christmas is a time of giving and receiving gifts. Since I’ve been young, I’ve been taught that it is far better to give than to receive, and I fully believe that. I’ve had those moments where I found the perfect gift for someone and was so excited; I could hardly wait until Christmas to give it to them.
However, what usually happens is I try and try to figure out the perfect gift for someone, but can’t and then it gets so close to Christmas that I run out of time, have to settle for a decent, last-minute gift I found at the mall, and then feel disappointed that I didn’t truly succeed at buying the perfect gift. With this approach, buying gifts becomes stressful, and makes it hard for me to even enjoy giving!
We all know that Christmas isn’t all about gifts, but it would be silly to say that everyone doesn’t look forward to seeing what they’re going to get. Gifts are a fun part of the season, but when we really examine what makes those special gifts memorable, we see that it’s usually the people who gave us the gift and the thought they put into it.
People want more than just the perfect gift, so I challenge you, this Christmas season, to focus on giving more than gifts. Give people your time and show them your love. A gift lasts for a few years, at most, but people will always cherish the time you spend with them and the effort you put into showing them they are important to you. This Christmas, be focused on showing God’s love to others, not just on giving gifts.