A Lovely Gift

Chris and I have all seven volumes of this Bible:
They make a lovely gift.

I have always enjoyed thinking of and giving gifts. Back when all our friends were getting married, Chris would get exasperated with me as I searched for a gift that said "Them!" (And no, not the Van Morrison band, although here's a song from Them you might enjoy.)

Finding a lovely gift is knowing a bit about the person for whom the gift is intended. For example, I once played in a Poker League. The 52 card deck of Hooters girls in bikinis was the perfect gift. (And no, you can Google your own pictures for that one.) Once, when Chris and I were just starting our household, my Mom gave us a box of cleaning and paper products designed to last us for months. That was a lovely gift. A gift says "I understand you and care about you."

A wonderful, and densely argued book,  Being Promised, makes a lot out of God giving gifts to us because God knows us. And that is why we have the baby Jesus, the ultimate gift. God knows us.

And what does God know? God knows we are scared sometimes that we won't have enough money. God knows we get angry when things are outside of our control. God know that we get frustrated when people won't listen to us. God knows we get so happy sometimes all we can do is cry. God knows that we sing because we want to be free. God knows that friends make even the worst day better. And God knows this because Jesus knows this.

We live in the sure and certain hope (not knowledge or fact) that God will not forget us, nor will God forget how we live. We have only a little baby and a manger to go on for that hope...will it be enough? It is enough for God, but is it enough for you?




May your tables be full and your conversations be true.