A singing fish whose tail flaps to the song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” may have been the worst gift of all time. What at first seemed like a great idea flapped on the office wall, eventually moved to the garage, and then one day died in a large steel green dumpster only to be buried in a landfill several miles away from my house. A tie for Christmas isn’t a bad gift, but have you ever received a Trout Tie? I mean a tie that actually looks like a trout? Maybe a re-gifted sweater with stains on it? Perhaps you’re like Clark Griswold and received a membership to the Jelly of the Month Club…..and you don’t even like jelly! Ever received an outdated calendar or some confusing or unexplainable board game? A broken snow globe? A cracked picture frame? A shirt that you will never wear because it just isn’t your style, or maybe it’s two sizes too small? Whatever it is, I’m sure we’ve all received gifts that just didn’t thrill us. So, what do we do? Pout? Cry? Get even? Regift?
It is something that we all must experience at some point in our lives. The ominous Bad Gift. We fake a smile and squeeze out a non-authentic “Thank you, I just love it to death!” We were hoping for something much more, but only received the Bad Gift. We were thinking about a huge gift card or something we really wanted. Not this year. So, I ask the question again. What do we do? Storm out? Never talk to the gift-giver again? Regift?
Why would someone give me something I never asked for? How rude? All they had to do was ask me and I would have told them exactly what I wanted. I mean, who buys a trout tie and where do you wear it? By the way, if you own one or have ever given anyone a trout tie, don’t be offended. I’m sure it’s just my opinion. Lots of people like fish ties.
I bet you’re wondering where I’m going with this. Well, it’s simple. It is to remind us of the importance of giving. I know. It sounds just the opposite. It sounds like I’m trying to help us understand how to graciously receive gifts. But, receiving gifts the right way is first understood by gifts the right way. We understand this by examining the greatest gift-giver of all time. God. God gave us His Son, Jesus and we celebrate that gift at Christmas. Let’s look at how God gave us Jesus.
God gave us Jesus because of love
John 3:16 says, “For God SO LOVED the world that He gave us His only Son, Jesus.” This love was an infinite love. It was a self-sacrificing kind of love. It was a love that we really understand if we are Christ-followers.
God gave us Jesus out of selflessness
It would have been easy for God to never send His Son to the world. But, this is not how God responded to our sin. God saw a need and sent His Son. This was a selfless act.
God gave us Jesus for reconciliation
There was a great purpose in God’s gift to us. God sent Jesus to earth to ultimately reconcile man to Himself. Christ reconciled man to Himself through His death, burial, and resurrection.
These are three easy concepts that should help us as we give gifts this year. We should give out of love, selflessness, and for a great purpose. We shouldn’t give gifts out of some painful responsibility or need to just mark names off a list. Our gifts should be out of a love for others. Whether or not we give them the right gift, we should always be reminded that God gave us the perfect gift…out of love! Whether or not we receive a broken picture frame or a membership to the Jelly of the Month Club, we should understand that we were given the perfect gift in Christ Jesus. Have you received the gift of Christ Jesus?
So, as Christmas gets closer and closer, let’s not worry about the gifts we might receive. We should be forever grateful for the perfect gift of Christ Jesus. If you have never placed your trust in Christ Jesus, I pray this would be the year you would do that. If you have placed your trust in Christ Jesus, I pray this would be the year you would experience the true joy of His salvation. Christmas is significant because Christ is the Savior!