Small Signs of God - Day 15

 

Small Signs of God - Gifts

 

James 1:17 says "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

    A few years ago we were doing some Christmas shopping and got stuck in a traffic jam. Waiting to move forward, my husband looked to me and said, "And what about you? What would you like for a Christmas gift this year?"

    I extended my hand to his nose to see what he thought about the new perfume I had sampled in the store.  He liked it. Then I suggested maybe a bird feeder or some gardening clippers.  He nodded. Or a new sauce pan. He perked up. I couldn't get very enthusiastic about wanting anything that year and then the traffic moved and thankfully, we, too, moved on in our exchange of ideas.

Silently, I pondered the question: what do I want? Oh, I can always give out a list of material things. I can find pleasure in the material world. But it never satisfies me. My daughter witnessed this short satisfaction experience in the store where she used to work. People frantic to get just the right one -you know, the latest version that just came out in the catalog. But a new style or version arrives every two weeks. And we just keep on buying. We keep on  fixing ourselves temporarily with the temporary.  It's like the perfume that smells so good and then fades away.

The real list lies somewhere down in my heart and  it wants to cry out, 

"I want the pandemic to be really over. I want politicians to fall in love with Jesus and get things in order. I want racial strife to stop and hatred go away. I want to not be afraid.  I want a broken life to mend. I want a family together.  I want my heart to feel strong. I want no more cancer for Emsley and Shirley and Jack and Diane and Ed and Mary Claire. I want a miracle for little Josie and 2-year-old Maggie. And I want peace.... and I want it to begin with me."

But wait. It is just two weeks until Christmas and I have already received the best gift I could ever hope for. 

It's Jesus. 

He is the one who can take my heart's list and check off each one to perfection. My job is to keep receiving His wondrous gift of love and mercy and grace. The gift of Jesus who came 2000 years ago is a sweet perfume that never fades or changes. His gift is perfection and wonder, calm and bright.

    Once again, Dear Lord, as we move through this season of the Christian year called Advent, we turn to you, the One who came and is among us, walking beside us, cheering us on, picking up the pieces, calming hearts -today, I open my heart to make a way for your Light to shine in my home,  neighborhood, and my world 

                                    The world you created and came to save. Amen                                            .