Family By Divine Design:: Monday Musings: Every Good Gift . . .

09 December 2013

Monday Musings: Every Good Gift . . .

Yesterday I overheard a brief exchange talking about the proceedings of the Christmas family gift exchange. These lovely ladies talked about letting their kids open gifts all at the same time, or having the children take turns. Most of them it seemed had their children take turns. One explained her choice, "Well, otherwise everyone doesn't get to see what they got!" That made me think.

I too, have my children take turns. But why? I think it's for many reasons; I want the gift opening to last longer so it can be enjoyed longer; I want to focus on one child at a time to see/gauge their reaction to the gifts. One other reason that occurred to me as I thought about it was I want my children to rejoice in their siblings' gifts, too. They're never given the exact same thing, and it's fun to watch and listen to them enjoy each others' gifts.

This ends up being a teaching moment, without me having to say anything. They can be happy for their siblings in the gifts they received, and they can do the same when seeing others outside of their family receive gifts - both in terms of actual tangible gifts, and in intangible blessings. We all have friends/acquaintances receive gifts/blessings that we don't. And it's a blessing to be able to be thankful for those gifts for their sakes, even when it's something we ourselves don't have. Covetousness and envy are horrible ugly feelings, and we are commanded not to indulge in such feelings.

We're all blessed with gifts of many different kinds, and always the giver is the same.

"Every perfect gift is from God." James 1:17

"Every good gift comes from Christ."Moro. 10:8–18

The Lord gives us the gifts that will bless us the most, or that we will be the most able to bless others' lives with. The gift that he's given to every one of us, and the only one that we all really need is the gift of His son.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

I'm so thankful for the birth and life of our Savior Jesus Christ. His example and His giving the ultimate gift of the Atonement makes the hard times in life bearable, and the sweet times so much sweeter. And through His gift, we are empowered to become better every day, and ultimately have the opportunity to be with Him again. The best gift ever has been given to every one of us. And I am thankful to receive it, and to share it with all of my brothers and sisters.

1 comment:

Tiffany Giraud15 January, 2014 16:15
Beautiful post. Joy in other's happiness brings us happiness too.
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David's Bio

I grew up in southeastern Idaho moving at age one from the center of our town to the outskirts. This home had approximately ten acres and much of my youth was spent outdoors both playing and working with my grandparents on their farms. I enjoyed sports throughout my life and was active in wrestling and football throughout junior high and high school. My junior and senior years at high school a sweet young girl even convinced me to join the ballroom dance team. I graduated from high school and attended BYU where I earned my Bachelors degree in Biology in April 2007. Having been raised in the gospel it has always been an influence in my life.

Rachael's Bio

I lived in south central Idaho on a two-acre property in a three-story home until the fourth grade. We moved to Idaho's capitol where we lived until I was in eighth grade when we moved to south eastern Idaho. This move affected my life greatly. It helped me to gain and solidify my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ as well as helped me decide how accurately I was going to live the gospel. This is also where I met David who was to become my best friend and husband. After graduating from high school in 2001 I attended BYU for four and a half years and graduated with a B.A. in Modern Dance, shortly before giving birth to our first child. Through all of my experiences my faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ and my dedication to living His gospel with integrity has increased. My greatest desire is that I will be able to help my children live and love the gospel.

Our Love Story

Rachael and David met first in their ward after Rachael moved in at the age of fourteen. Rachael's family had just moved across town to a home more suited to their needs than the original duplex. Both of their families were active in the church and Rachael and David both served in leadership positions of their respective YM/YW groups. With that constant exposure to each other was added the fact that they went to the same high school and were in the same graduating class. They found each other to be attractive and dated each other quite a bit near the end of their senior year and the summer afterward. After his freshman year at BYU David went on a mission to Russia - Rachael wrote him about every month and a half, just as an "interested" friend. Rachael was at home working for the summer when David returned from his mission and immediately felt that she wanted to date him again, so she asked him to go see the Phantom of the Opera in Salt lake City; thereafter followed about six months of courtship before they were married in Logan, Utah. Now they're both "the luckiest."