But God who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that he had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses.  You are saved by grace!

Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens, so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift-not from works so that no one can boast.  Ephesians 2:4-9 HCSB

I must admit that this Christmas has been a little stressful.  Well, actually every Christmas seems to be stressful and who am I kidding when I say a little?  It’s very stressful.  You see, if I were wealthy I would buy great gifts for everyone.  Gifts like cars and vacation homes.  Maybe this is why God has not blessed me with great wealth, He probably thinks I wouldn’t be so wise with it and maybe He’s right.  But I love to give gifts.  The problem with this time of year is the stress of getting the right gift for each person on my list without breaking the bank.  So, honestly if I could have anything I wanted for Christmas, I would have unlimited funds to do my shopping and I would get everyone the perfect gift.  I would also have a personal assistant who would go out and fight the crowds to purchase these gifts.  Although with online shopping, I can handle that part with less stress.  I would know exactly what each person on my list wanted the most and I would just get it.

But unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.  I have no idea what most people want, so I guess and hope for the best.  And because I am not fortunate enough to have unlimited funds, I have to stick to a budget.  This is what causes my stress.  I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to find something that will make the recipient happy.  I have been saying for years that I think we go about gift buying all wrong.  I think that each person should take what they are going to spend on the other person and buy a gift for themselves.  For example, let’s say that I am exchanging gifts with a friend that I will call Sue and we are going to spend around 20.00 on each other.  Well, Sue would buy a 20.00 gift for herself from me and I would buy myself a gift from Sue.  This way everyone gets what they want.  You don’t even really have to have a price range because everyone could spend what they want.  But no one seems to be warming up to that idea.

But my concern here is that in all the hustle and bustle, we forget about the most important gift of all.  We forget about the gift that God gave us.  John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  This gift is the only gift that matters in the grand scheme of things.  So I am happy that people care enough to buy me presents but I have all I want and all I need.  I have Christ’s love and the gift of God’s Son who came and paid the ransom for a miserable sinner like me.

So, if you find yourself getting stressed out this Christmas season, stop.  Take a moment when you feel that you don’t have a minute to spare.  Take a moment and think about the gift that God gives to us.  Have you shared that with those that you love?  If not, then trust me those mittens you bought for them may keep their hands warm, but what about their hearts?

All I want for Christmas is for all of us to stop the frantic frenzy and take a moment to think about the reason for the season.   I want to worship and praise the Lord.  I want my loved ones to know that the greatest gift of all will not be wrapped up under the Christmas tree.  I also want them to fully understand that they have to accept the gift that God gives us, He will not force it on us like the ugly Christmas sweater that we got.  He offers it to us, but we have a choice.  We can accept it or reject it.

All I want for Christmas is for you and everyone I know to accept this wonderful gift.  Because you see when we all accept the gift that God offers, then the world will be a better place.  The world will be like heaven.  All we need is love.  John 15:13 tells us, no greater love than this; to lay down his life for his friends.  This is what Jesus did for us.  He was born in a manger to die on a cross.  What more could we possibly need?

My prayer for you this Christmas is not so much that you get what you want, but that you get what you need.  I also pray that you can recognize and appreciate the difference between the two.

Have a great day!