'Tis the Season

Last Christmas, my wife sent me an article about gift giving. Specifically, the article calls for banning out of control gift giving. Being the nerd that I am, I asked myself why is gift giving out of control? Martin Lewis, the author, points out how gifts create an obligation for the receiver. This is a symptom of pride. We have lost the skill of being a grateful recipient. Gifts are given without any expectation of return. That's the very definition of gift. Gifts that expect something in return are called bribes. A gift is given whether you do what the giver wants or not. This is why the Bible describes salvation as a gift. God sacrificed His Son without any expectation of a return. Nowhere is salvation linked with any behavior. The Bible describes behaviors that come naturally as a result of the gift. God's gift changes who we are. When we change, our behavior changes. The Bible never commands us to do something or risk losing the gift. Our pride doesn't like that. It means that our happiness relies entirely on someone else, outside of our control. A grateful recipient accepts the outside control and trusts that the giver upholds their promise of not wanting something in return. We're created in God's image. If His gifts change the recipient, it stands to reason that our gifts also change the recipient. Along the same line, God's gift reflects who He is (God is love - 1 John something). Our gifts reflect who we are. Now imagine millions of people in open rebellion to God. If they're evil, doesn't that mean their gifts reflect that evil? And so you get what happens today - bribes. Gifts have become a way of showing off. We brag about how we feel, instead of expressing appreciation for the other person. So I guess it involves selfishness too. Appreciation should be appropriate. Send Vania's teacher a hand made card. Mrs. G invests time in Vania. A hand made card reflects that (you took time to make it). It is appropriate. Stuff is a poor reflection of what you value in the other person. That's why Lucy prefers spending time with us. Granted, an occasional Nerf gun is fun. It just doesn't shape her character as much the experience of being singled out for some special time with Mom.