Are You Getting What You Want for Christmas?

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All the presents are wrapped.  (All the ones that are here, that is.  I’m still waiting for a couple to arrive.)  They look pretty stacked under the tree, colorful papers, bright bows, all waiting to be torn into on Christmas day.

But is what we really want in a box or stuffed into a gift bag under that ornament-laden tree?

If you’d asked me this past week what I really wanted for Christmas, I’d have said for my 15-year-old daughter to be well.  She had a nasty upper respiratory infection for most of the week, and had to live with a fever and persistent cough for several days.  She missed several Christmas parties and spent her days on the couch resting.  She seems to be on the mend now and seeing her back in good health will be a treasured Christmas present for me.

It’s an old saying, that money can’t buy happiness, and, in fact, there’s a lot that money can’t buy.  And while I’m all for spending a reasonable amount of money on presents for loved ones, there’s so much more that can’t be wrapped and put under a tree.

So whatever your heart longs for this week, I pray that God will guide you into an assurance of His love and give you His peace about the situation that tugs at your heart, strength to handle the difficulty you may be facing, and an abundant joy in the blessings He bestows.

In the midst of final present wrapping and cookie baking and Christmas Eve traditions, I want to take quiet moments to meditate on Bible verses about Jesus’ birth and look around at all that I’ve been blessed with and express thanks to God for the gift of His Son and for the people He’s given me to love.

May your week be full of true Christmas cheer!