What Do You Have To Give?
You may be sitting there asking yourself on this Christmas Eve, “What do I have to give?” It’s quite simple, really, as the biggest treasures cannot be found on the shelves. They are not stocked in any store, nor can they be found with a few clicks of your mouse on the internet. Instead, they are found deep within the chambers of our hearts.
What do you have to give?
How about love, deep love. A lasting love, a devoted and dedicated love. A true love. A love that will not betray, nor deceive, nor lie. A love that will be honest and loyal.
Consider truth. Giving the gift of honesty by being a man or woman of your word. A person of integrity. One with good morals and values. An upstanding citizen, but even more importantly, the kind of person that you would want your daughters to marry. One that would protect their little hearts and never ever do anything in the world to break them. One that would shelter and love through all the years, never ever forsaking them for another.
Faithfulness. Deep within your being, right to the very core … having your heart beat with love for only one person on this earth – the one you married.
Making your loved ones feel treasured and cherished. Important and valued. Heard and appreciated. Validated. Connected and bonded together. Just the two of you, heart to heart, united as one as God intended.
You have so much to offer and so much to give not just this holiday season but every day.
Drop to your knees and beg for forgiveness if you have not been any of the above or a select few of the before mentioned this year or in the past several years. You can turn from your wicked ways right here, right now. You can be a person of good character. You can rewrite who you are starting today. You have it in you to make a lasting change. Turn from any sin that you have held on to in your life. Let go of any lies you’ve been telling and replace it with truth. Leave the deceitful, lustful ways of the past and be more. Be a man or woman of God!
Tomorrow is the day we celebrate when Jesus came to this world, to save the world all those years ago! As a little tiny baby lying in a manger, He was our truth and life. He was our future, our forgiveness, our Savior. Jesus can still save you right here, right now – today – where you sit reading this – if you only allow Him into your heart.
Jesus came to save the world!
Turn all of your sins and darkness over to Him. Run into His outstretched arms and sin no more! Turn away from that life you were living. You have a lot of making up to do for lost time. To the loved ones you took so much from in years past due to your behavior, the sin you had in your life, the way you mistreated them and took them for granted. Start today repairing things in your life, in your marriage, in your family.
What do you have to give?
The gift of renewal; a fresh start with true love and devotion to your one and only on this earth and to God above in Heaven.
Give the gift that will be treasured all the days of your loved ones’ lives.
Give them the best that you can be from here on out. Give them love like they’ve never experienced before. Give them truth and honesty. Give them the gift of ONLY having eyes for them. Give them a bright future ahead for the family with love, devotion, truth, dedication, loyalty, and faithfulness.
That’s what you have to give.
Love The Giver
My ten year old daughter came home from school one day overcome with sadness. You see, earlier in the day she visited the little country store at their school where they were allowed to buy items for their family members for Christmas. My daughter told about how she picked out the perfect gift for me, one she knew I would have loved. As she was showing it to her friend, of course her friend asked to hold it. As she was doing so, it slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor. Her classmate said she was sorry, but there was no amount of super glue in the world that would put that little present back together.
As my daughter was telling me this story, I took her into my arms and reassured her that it was the thought that counts, and I appreciate her thinking of me. I hugged her tightly and gave her a reassuring kiss on her forehead and touched the tip of her nose with my finger in hopes to see a smile form across her lips. It took a few minutes, but finally, she did smile. Then she went off into her room.
Two nights ago, she insisted that I had to open a present from her. I was hesitant as I like to save my presents for Christmas Day.
Growing up, my parents would never allow us to open just one present before Christmas. They had very little money to buy gifts with, so every gift was needed to remain under the tree until Christmas Day. That has been instilled in me through the years, but with my own children, I have made allowances where they can open a gift two days before Christmas and on Christmas Eve, but the rest of the presents must remain for Christmas Day.
My daughter could wait no longer for me to open the gift, so she brought it to me and pleaded with her puppy dog eyes and begged for me to open it. I sat Indian style on the floor with her seated ever so excitedly beside me as she placed the little package in my hands. She wrapped it herself in yellow paper with brightly colored polka dots on it. The paper was crumpled by her sweet little hands that took their time to wrap this gift for me. And there she sat in front of me with the widest smile as she urged, “OPEN IT, Mama!”
And so I did.
My husband and teenager daughter were gathered around that evening as I opened the gift, and they saw what I cradled there in the palm of my hands after opening this gift from my precious daughter. A set of angel wings.
I knew instantly that this was all that remained intact from the gift she was so excited to have purchased for me before. The one that she showed her friends; the one that came crashing to the floor as her little face dropped upon seeing it broken and shattered … all except the little angel wings.
I held them in my hands and proudly showed them to my husband and daughter but not before I took my ten year old in my arms and gave her the longest hug as I whispered my thanks and appreciation in her little ears.
My husband was a tad bit confused at first as to why I only had angel wings. I did not make a big deal about it at all, though, as to it “just” being angel wings. Instead, I took the gift that my sweet darling daughter had given me and placed it along with the ornaments on our tree.
I told her how much I love my angel wings. She started talking about how she wishes it wouldn’t have gotten broken as I would have loved it. I took her little hands in my own and looked her straight into her beautiful sea blue eyes as I told her that I do love it … and I love her.
I love the giver!
I truly do!
She has the biggest heart. This little girl was so worried about having no gifts to give to her family about a week ago. I told her that she gives us all we need: love. Still, she was stressing over not having anything to give, so I told her that we would make sure that she had gifts under the tree for her sister and her father, and so I went shopping for gifts just for them from her. In the meantime, though, she went to work in her room for two days on pictures that she drew with her own little hands. She was dedicated to her drawings and making sure to give us gifts that would mean something to us, and they truly did!
She had us gather around the Christmas tree to open these gifts from her. As we sat Indian style once more, I told her father and sister how she really put a lot into these gifts. She took a lot of time drawing them and making sure they were “just right.” They thanked her for them before they ever opened them.
And then, the magic appeared as we unfolded the little pieces of paper that contained our daughter’s masterpieces!
For me, she drew two of our horses that she knows I love. Arizona and Sugar!
For her sister, she drew the nativity scene as that is the true meaning of Christmas and why we celebrate. The birth of Christ Our Lord!
For her father, she drew Elvis. Because he absolutely loves all things Elvis!
Oh this little ten year old daughter of mine blessed our hearts and souls.
It’s not about broken pieces or the remaining angel wings, and it’s not about the presents or lack thereof under the Christmas tree. It’s about her heart that is so loving and caring. It’s about her desire to give, although she thought she had very little to give. She has no idea the impact that she has had on our lives in the ten years we have been blessed to have her with us. She thrills my heart and soul and impresses me that even at this very young age, she thought of others instead of herself.
My oldest daughter came out of her room last night bearing this gift. How sweet that she thought of all of our readers here to wish them a Merry Christmas!
This Christmas, we hope you will focus more on the giver of the gift instead of the gifts that you receive.
Love the giver!
I know we sure do!
Dear Grief
Dear Grief,
I came to know you and despise you all at the same time 13 years ago. You slammed into me and my family on a hot July day stripping away every ounce of happiness and hope that we had for the future. When we should have been happy celebrating the birth of a new baby, you came like a thief in the night and stole our joy while leaving huge holes in our hearts. You snatched our hearts from our chests the day my sister died, leaving behind her two week old baby, and on many “special” occasions since that time as my sister is not here with us to “celebrate.” Instead, we feel you body slam us to the ground at these special times of the year.
Like now.
It’s Christmastime.
In just a few short days, Christmas will be here bringing all the laughter, joy, and cheer, and yet here we sit reminded of you and all you have taken from us.
A few short days ago, we mourned, cried, whaled, and held our heads in our hands on what should have been a happy occasion; my sister’s 46th birthday. Yet, there was no big celebration at all and none of us felt happy. We were consumed with you as you wreaked havoc on us all once more.
Oh how we wish to be free from you. How we wish we would have never come to know you.
And yet, you’re here. Sitting among us at the dinner table with our heads bowed, silence filling the room, as no one dare speaks my sister’s name as surely a flood of tears would flow down our faces like a torrential downpour if we did.
You assault us at this time of year especially.
My poor mother was so overcome with emotion yesterday, yet she can’t speak of my sister to my father who holds tight to you. He hurts and deals with you alone as you have rendered him speechless when you come around. My dear mother cried due to you yesterday to my daughter. My teenage daughter felt trapped in the room with her grandmother and YOU.
How dare you! How DARE you do this to my mother, to my father, to ME, to my children … how dare you!
What are we to do when you’ve stolen so much from our lives?
How are we supposed to go on when you keep coming around threatening to cripple us emotionally once more?
When will we ever be free of you?
Dear Grief. I hate you with a passion. I hate what you’ve done to our family. What you’ve taken from us – our hopes and dreams of the future. How you’ve torn this family apart from the inside out. I hate how we bleed internally as our hearts are shredded, and there is no help or hope for us to be free of you.
And so I pray.
I pray for peace that will not come for long. I pray for comfort for my parents and their hearts that have been ripped from their chests. I pray … that is all I know to do … as I hug them tightly and whisper, “I love you.”
Me, the surviving daughter.
The one without my sister.
The one that forces a smile when I feel as if I’m dying inside.
You will not steal my joy forever. For when I feel as if I cannot go on, I don’t have to do this alone … for God is with me. He swoops in when you threaten to take us all the way down into the pit of depression and despair, and He wraps His loving arms around us. He draws us near to Him and comforts the brokenhearted. He provides the light in the darkness for HE is the light.
Oh, The Light of The World has come to save us once more.
He dries our tears and allows us to rest our weary heads upon His shoulders. He holds us for a little while until we are able to stand without the need of being carried, but He does not go too far away. He is there ready and willing to catch us before we fall again when you threaten us once more.
You will not win, Grief.
For you see, we will be reunited with my sister once more and all of the loved ones that have gone on before us. While you try to cripple us on this earth, there will be NO tears in Heaven. None.
You will not exist in Heaven, Grief. You will finally die, but no one will mourn for you.
We will walk the streets of gold with my sister, together at last. We will be filled with so much joy as we walk hand in hand with Jesus.
Oh happy day, when Jesus comes …
Then we will wave goodbye to you.
Goodbye, Grief. You will not be missed!
