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:

  1. Beautiful post. Joy in other's happiness brings us happiness too.

    ReplyDelete

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