Hey, what'd ya get?


Kindness in words creates confidence.
Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.
Kindness in giving creates Love.
--Lao Tzu

Hey, what’d ya get?

Remember the old Charlie Brown Halloween special, when all the kids went out trick or treating? When they looked in their bags, each child would announce what they got:
           
            I got a giant candy bar!
            
            I got three pencils! And some jelly beans!
            
            I got peanut butter kisses—my favorite!

And at every single house, Charlie Brown got the same thing:
           
             I got—a rock.

Makes you wonder how he fared at Christmas, doesn’t it?

We have come off a record-breaking holiday spending season. Estimates are, we spent around one trillion dollars on gifts this year! (That's $1,000,000,000,000.)

And you know what’s really sad? Of those gifts, chosen just for us, nearly $280 billion worth are returned! Wow. . . .

Christmas is a season of love, a time when we pause and focus on the story from long ago when a child was born, a child who would change the world. The perfect gift of a perfect God.

Here’s my challenge to you: instead of focusing on the gift—wrong size, hate the color, doesn’t go with my décor—focus on the giver. Focus on the Love. And if you must return something? How about returning the Love to the giver? I guarantee it’s just what they want (and need)! Merry Christmas!


Monday Spend some time “sitting with” a small passage of Scripture. Consider reading it aloud. Meditate on the words. Listen for God to speak. Isaiah 63:7-9

Tuesday In your quiet time today, listen for points of disquiet or discord within your own soul. Ask God to guide you to peace. Psalm 148:1-5

Wednesday Do you know someone who is serving as a missionary abroad? Commit to pray for them regularly, as they seek to shine the Light of Christ into some very dark corners. Psalm 148:6-13

Thursday, January 2 Many among us practice lighting a candle to offer an extra prayer for someone. If you use candles, offer a name as you light it, or offer a prayer as you light the room with the flip of a switch. Hebrews 2:10-13

Friday Listen today to the way you talk to yourself. Are you polite and loving? Pray that you might be gentle with yourself. Hebrews 2:14-18

Saturday Gratitude is an emotion best shared with another. Tell someone what you are grateful for, and praise God for his generosity. Matthew 2:13-18

Sunday As we enter the season of Epiphany, enjoy this traditional worship experience and give thanks for those who lead worship today. Matthew 2:19-23

It is in giving that I connect with others, with the world,
and with the Divine. –Isabel Allende


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