Remember me?! As our family has faced lots of transition and illness since school started, I have struggled to continue to post to my blog. But as recent events over the weekend displayed God's faithfulness, I had to visit and share with you.
On Friday, I received an e-mail from a friend who is leading me and a few girlfriends in Bible Study. She was reminding us to not get lost in the stressfulness of the holidays. I replied with some thoughts that had been stirring in my heart all week. I had them scribbled down on the back of an envelope by my night stand with an orange felt pen (Writer friends, you understand, right?)
I love to gift wrap. In my opinion the way a gift is wrapped and how it is given is just as important as what is inside. So, I take my time wrapping and love cloth and hand tied bows instead of the adhesive...what a display of beauty, time, and concentration!
But don't let that EVER stop ya from sharing a gift with me (HA HA) because, in the hussell and bussell of Christmas, it never fails that I end up grabbing a couple of the plastic adhesive bows and slapping them on a gifts. Never fails. You know the feeling...not really what I wanted to do, but I didn't WISELY plan or prepare for what my heart really wanted to do.
Now, think of the WISE men.
As they really gave their gifts to the KING, not just to Mary and Joseph, how did they do it? Bow, is my answer. Not just any person was born, Jesus Christ was named King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They had made such plans and preparations following the star, traveled so long and come so far to find HIM, my heart (and the Word) tells me they didn't stand at the door and offer the gift to the parents.
The WISE men HAD TO enter the place, come close to Jesus, take time after preparations and planning, and bow, as they presented their gifts.
Now, I am not going to get all tied up about the timing of when they got to Jesus, was it right away or 2 years later. Should they really go with the nativity set or not.... The story of their gift giving to Jesus is in the Word and I just want to learn from their humble hearts, sacrificial time, concentrated effort, and gift giving. Even Herod told them to go and "seek diligently" (Matt. 2:8), but we all know his heart! But the whole reason the wise followed the light, came to Jesus, gathered in His Name was "we have come to worship Him" (Matthew 2:2). I will admit, I don't really think of "worship" when we are under the tree? So, when they did arrive there on that day, to celebrate the birth of the King, look at what it says "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh" (Matthew 2:11).
We always pray before opening gifts, trying to keep Christ in Christmas, but this year, before the first bow is given, I think I will invite my family to pray and share "a bow" with me to give Christ our worship as a gift this year, the first gift....a real bow, not just our heads in prayer, but our whole beings (on bended knee) in worship before God to truly thank Him for the gift of His Son.
Then, maybe after all the adhesive bows are gone, that one bow will stick in our hearts!
As Friday came to an end, I thought, "I will, I will" when another girlfriend replied to me saying, "you must blog this BIG time!" So just imagine my surprise (and conviction) when the VERY NEXT day came along and Saturday brought this gift of pose-able action figures for our son, Jeremiah, from his Great Aunt Gerry.
Yep, I fell down in the floor and admired each of the 12 pieces. I bended their knees...even the camels and took this picture for you! Thanks Aunt Gerry...it was not only a gift to Jeremiah this year, but an encouragement to me! And to my girlfriends who encourage me to write and post on the blog...that is a gift I am thankful for, too. Merry Christmas, I am so glad that we share our gifts and present them to Christ first, then others.
Have a Worship-Filled Christmas,
April
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