Birthdays are causes for celebration all around the world. It is a time for the giving of gifts. Usually, when we celebrate our birthdays, we receive gifts. Not where I work. I shelled out $36 yesterday for some stale Wal-Mart cookies and a grape.
The really good gifts though are the ones that come without a price tag. One year my sister gave me a picture of the two of us as kids. It was so unexpected and wonderful I got up and left the room - my eyes filled with tears. I love my sister. That's why the gift was special.
Today my tastes have aged. It used to be that I thought gifts were all about me. What was I going to get? Would mom and dad really get me the bike I wanted? (Doubtful. I was undeserving.) Yet grace did abound in our family . . . and it still does. :)
These days birthday gifts take intangible forms. They have no shape. Yet they are as gift-like as a piece of cake or a box with a ribbon on it. Perhaps it's a friend delivering a hug or a thoughtful message on Facebook.
As my body has aged so has my thoughts about gifts. The best gifts are the ones from the heart. But for the Christian the best gifts are the ones that WE get to give to others.
Monday night I saw a Facebook post from a young friend of mine. She was not having the best of days.
"Who can I trust? I always seem to get hurt."
This was my reply.
"Jesus! He has promised to never leave you or forsake you. He already loves you unconditionally. What are you waiting for?"
My friend came back with this:
"Oh, well he has let me down too."
Me: "I don't think so. If you think God has disappointed you, you don't really know Him."
Friend: "Yeah... I haven't gone to church ever since high school. I have stopped knowing God."
Me: "I'd love to re-introduce you two."
Friend: "OK"
How's that for a birthday gift? God provided me with a very special gift - the opportunity to speak into the life of a young soul about Jesus - a gift she can receive that will never disappoint, if she truly receives it. God's gift is free and everlasting. One size fits all! And Jesus is the gift that keeps on giving!! :)
We are all finite beings. Someday we ALL will stop aging. But what happens after that is up to us . . . and God. If you don't KNOW Jesus, please, get to know Him today. Please pray for my young friend. That she might meet with Him and come to know Him . . . and the gift He offers for ALL of His children.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." - James 1:17
"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace." - 1 Peter 4:10
The Gift - Jim Brickman
When I'm Sixty-Four -The Beatles
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