Go Ahead and Give Yourself a Gift!

Gift giving to the ones you love and care about is probably the most fun part of Christmas for me. I participated this year in another ornament swap with other Arkansas women bloggers. The administrator of the site takes all the participants’ names and addresses and gives them out randomly to us all.  The catch is that the ornament has to be hand-made. As I went to my recipient’s website to look at her tastes I discovered she has an entire page for crafting! That means she knows how to craft and seems to be quite good at it.  I had to laugh as she will be getting something made by a lady who is excited about it, but maybe not quite as crafty as she is.

As I was perusing Pinterest looking for an ornament idea, I came across a quote that stood out to me.  “If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete”.   We are lovers of gift giving. 

We generally spend a lot of time making sure everyone is happy with their gift. Often in the shuffle we leave ourselves out. This is not only at Christmas, but all through the year. We give and give and give. And that’s good. It’s just part of us. But at the end of the season we are often worn out and done in. We’ve given it our all and there’s nothing left for us.

God began to speak to my heart: You can give yourself gifts too.  In fact I AM the greatest gift giver ever and I have incredibly wonderful gifts that you can appropriate for yourself.  You need gifts and you can enjoy them not just at Christmas, but the whole year through. Give yourself a gift or two or three. But these gifts are special in that you have to give them to yourself with the same gusto you have when you give to others. You have to do it. I have appropriated the gifts but you must allow yourself to receive them and enjoy them. If you do, you will find that your gift giving is more complete. Write your own name on your to do list, for I have written your name on My heart and My hand.

What are these gifts you say? Oh precious one, give yourself the gift of rest. That’s right. It’s okay to rest in fact it’s best for your body, soul and mind if you get plenty of rest.  It’s not spiritual to stay frazzled and worn out.  Rest in God’s promises, rest in His assurance that He will make things right and good for you even if everything is not done. Give yourself the gift of peace. It’s there for you as God gave it all. Remember He said, “Peace I give to you.” Peace is harmony in the midst of turmoil and reconciliation in the midst of imperfection. We need that peace don’t we? Then there’s contentment. I can give myself contentment? What a gift! That is a satisfaction that brings serenity to our hearts. As you give yourself that gift you will find you can relax and let things be more fun than duty.  There are more gifts. As you spend time with the Lord and look into your own heart you will find your most needed presents and give them to yourself liberally without holding back. Joy, blessings, honor and more.

Oh beloved, the greatest gift you can give yourself is to love yourself as God loves you! I know, it’s almost unimaginable, but it’s your gift, hand made by the Father. He delights in you allowing the love of His heart to flow over your entire life – your heart, your mind and your spirit. This love gift you give yourself allows you to be all God intends you to be. The gift will take you farther than your wildest imagination because it allows you to take all the gifts God has for you. As you take time to learn all about the gift of love and you let yourself be loved by God, you will find that all the momentary distractions, nuisances and weariness will melt away.  

This love of God, beloved, is the gift that will keep on giving long after the lights are down, the tree is thrown out, the wrapping paper is discarded and Christmas is gone. Once you experience letting yourself receive God’s love you will never want to live without it again.  His love is extravagant. His love will make your heart soar. His love is like a mirror that reflects your true beauty in Christ.

What wondrous gifts the Giver of Life has prepared for those who love Him.  Whatever you do and wherever you go, open the word daily and read all about the gifts you can give yourself. Then take your gift of love with you and see how it changes everything from your feelings of worth to your perspective on life. Rejoice in the gifts and remember that God loves you and He’s for you and that’s why you can enjoy giving yourself every good and perfect Gift He has for you.

Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.

2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Psalm 62:5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him  (NIV)

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

You Can Have it All This Christmas!

Each year I work hard to make sure at least one present under the tree is something that the recipient really wants. I want them to be excited when they open the package. I want them to ooh and ahh and show delight in the contents.  While it may be something they “need”, still I want it to be fun.  While it may be something they asked for, still I want them to be surprised. My desire is to bless them. One of my grandsons asked me to open the presents now – why wait? Indeed, the expectancy of the looks on one anothers’ faces at the tree makes me all the more eager to participate in the gift exchange. Sometimes I wrap the presents and think that later I’ll get around to putting labels on them. This is a big mistake because I might forget, and have in the past, what was in the package and who it was for. So I’ve found myself opening the occasional package to remember.  Other times we adults have gotten tickled as little ones open packages and spend their time playing with the box, totally ignoring the gift that was inside!  

I know that Christmas isn’t always everything it’s cracked up to be. There are the issues of living life in a fallen world. There may be sorrowful things in your life. Adult children living away from God’s will, family members in failing health, jobs that no longer bring meaning, bills that keep piling up, spouses that grow cold and indifferent. Hurts and agonies and frustrations run rampant, it seems maybe even more so during this season. Christmas may not hold all the wonder it used to, but isn’t there something redeemable in this season turned so commercial? Isn’t there somewhere in the recesses of our hearts that we humans can find solace and hope and wonder again?

Maybe it’s time to put down the wrapping paper and the ribbons. Lay aside the long to-do list. Put aside the pile of bills for just a moment and ponder again the wonder of all that we can find in the Christ Child. All our hopes and dreams begin and end in Him and if we let Him, He will make not only Christmas, but every day a blessing in Him.   

Oh beloved, run to your Savior! He’s calling you so gently, so lovingly, so earnestly! It’s imperative that you rest in the love of Immanuel, for He is God with us! In this world you may find starkness and sorrow and little or no fulfillment, but in Him…. In Him  you will find all your hearts’ desires realized. In Him you will find all the comfort you could ever ask for. In Him you have rest for your weary heart, peace for your worried soul and joy for your sorrowing mind.  In Jesus, God will meet our every need, through Jesus we will be given every provision, and from Jesus we will receive every blessing God can give.

He says to you this morning, I AM your source of Light in a dark world. I AM your source of blessing in a world full of curses, I AM your provision in a world that is meeting less and less of your needs. From Me, in Me, all that you need is found. Rest in Me, rejoice in Me, for I AM all you will ever need and more.

While you may not find all you need under your tree, in your home, at your office or in your relationships, IN CHRIST you have it all! Now isn’t that worth celebrating and giving God the glory! Thank Him this morning as you rehearse all that you are in Him for He loves you extravagantly and He’s for you eternally! Wow, Immanuel, God with us – what a Savior, what a King, what a Love!

Colossians 2:9-10 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Isaiah 9:6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Colossians 2:7 Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

2 Corinthians 4:6 For it is God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Psalm 130:7  O Israel, hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows.

Lamentations 3:24  I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”