The Gift That Lasts

Every year we sit around the Christmas tree, eagerly waiting to open the gifts that loved ones have given us. We watch the children rip the wrappings off the boxes of toys, throwing papers everywhere, and if not careful, throwing away a valuable gift certificate or maybe even a check. The excitement lasts all day and sometimes even into the next week or month.

But eventually, the newness of the gift wears off, or the toy is broken. Clothes wear out, we finish reading the book, or we cash the check. No matter what we get as a Christmas gift, it eventually wears out or is broken. It is temporary.

I remember one year when I was just a little boy. It was early December and the snow was falling down in great amounts. And even though we lived in the north, there was no guarantee that Christmas would be white. My dad, knowing this, decided to give me a present early. He called me into the living room and told me a story. Then he told me to go into the kitchen and get him a glass of water. There leaning against the kitchen sink was a shining new sled.

I was ecstatic with my new toy, and determined to keep it forever. But as kids will do, I left it in the street and even before Christmas, it had been run over by a car and smashed to pieces. Even my greatest intentions could not save the gift.

Today I was reading the Christmas story in Luke. It is a story about a gift. I read about the cows and the sheep, and about the manger. When I was a young boy, I remember looking in the manger and seeing this wonderful gift. It was all wrapped up in swaddling clothes. And on the gift was a card addressed to me. I opened it, and it said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16 (NIV).

You know, I still have that gift. I will always have that gift. It is eternal life. It won't break. It won't wear out. I can't lose it. It is mine for always and ever. Have you received that gift? It is there, lying in the manger, just waiting for you to accept it.

My prayer for all of you is that you have already received this gift. And, if not, you WILL accept it soon. It is yours for the taking.

Merry Christmas to you all, and the best of New Years

Dwayne Collins, MA LPC

Email: Heart Change Counseling

or

Phone: 469-261-5123