White-Washed Christmas - Afterthoughts

Six observations on giving - the Christmas Experience:

1. Sure enough - Saturday night, Dec. 23rd, I was in line at 11:50pm with purchases I was hoping to make. The line was especially slow, and after a frustrating day shopping where nothing seemed to go right, this was one more thing to try my patience. It was only then that I remembered my own words from the previous post ("White-Washed Christmas") about remembering the Reason for the Season when I'm standing in line at midnight on Dec. 23rd. It was convicting. I decided to do something about it; I decided to start seeking how to benefit those around me and that made all the difference.
2. The words "Merry Christmas" themselves have a calming effect on people. Sure, it has something to do with the Season and the Christmas music over the store speakers, but the words themselves do something, spoken. I ran into a friend from high school that I hadn't spoken to for over five years. At that particular moment, shopping was kicking my butt and I didn't even know it. I was letting it affect my perspective on everything. Her saying "have a good Christmas" was all it took to slice through the dreariness of unsuccessful shopping and brought a hop back to my step. That night, (Dec. 23rd - midnight) after the store had shut, I realized I had left my jacket in the store. When I rushed back in to find it, I passed a man standing near the door, waiting for his daughter. When I was leaving, I wished the man a Merry Christmas. His tight face softened and the light returned to his eyes; when he exhaled, the tension left his shoulders, then he looked at me calmly and said, "you too, Sir."
3. Christmas is the one time of year where a majority of people are willing to put the cares of this world aside - the mad rush to make certain you get what is due you and/or what you want - and offer of themselves to other people without expecting much in return. I admit, it took reflecting on my attitudes to get to the point where I could let down, savor the moment, and do just that. I wasn't willing to reflect like that until the epiphany in the store line at 11:50pm on Dec. 23rd. That's nuts!
4. If human fathers find joy in giving to their children, how much more God with us? Some would say the human capacity to give is evidence of the Giver. I think so.
5. The true measure of giving is the joy of watching others revel in the gift given. That joy is compounded by the anticipation building up to the moment the person receives the gift. This build up of anticipation is often commensurate with the personal cost of time, effort and resources necessary to obtain the gift for the giving. If you think about it, that is the way of God with us - anticipation of the joy of us reveling in His Gift to us was enough for Him to give His life in the first place - all so we could share that joy with Him for eternity. It magnifies the one giving (but the one giving is focused on the one receiving the gift).
6. Gifts are received and must be accepted. A homeless lady was offered the purchase of a book outside a bookstore. She asked what the book was about and was given an answer. She declined. It may be that the one giving chose the gift poorly. Whatever the case, each gift comes with a choice whether or not to accept the gift.

I hope this post amounts to a gift to you. Merry Christmas!