Has someone ever given you a present you never opened?
Maybe you took it and put it under your arm, but because the
box didn't feel heavy enough or the wrapping paper didn't look pretty enough, you
sat it down with intentions to open it later.
But maybe you never actually opened it; maybe you got distracted and
forgot. It's like you took the present
that was given to you, but you never truly received what it had to offer.
Kids are different in that way. Kids don't save their presents for
later. They don't get distracted or
forget. We've all seen this unfold; the
wrapping paper gets shredded, the box is destroyed, and that red ribbon that
grandma keeps yelling for them to save gets annihilated most of all. Kids prove to us that they have a special
knack for receiving presents. And when
they see what it is for the first time–
Pure. Joy.
Do you ever get jealous about the way kids open
presents?
Do you ever wish for that kind of joy?
But let’s be realistic, you have more to think about than
answering such silly questions. Only
kids are supposed to open presents like that, right? And maybe you pay more attention to your real
responsibilities and the things in your life that you think are more relevant. Instead, maybe you talk about how you're
going to cut back on gift-giving this year.
Or maybe your hope is to survive the routine of the holidays. Like, you hold your breath, close your eyes,
and ask somebody to wake you up when it’s all over. Or perhaps you just go with the flow and try
to not get too irritated by the moments, the people, the food, the music, or
the white elephant presents.
In your mind, maybe Christmas isn’t what it used to be.
You’re not a kid anymore and it affect the way you celebrate
Christmas.
Something changed about the holiday season.
The Christmas lights don’t have the magic they used to have.
And it seems Christmas will never be like it used to be…
That is,
until you realize
you never received it;
you never opened
that one present
you were given.
That present, the original present, the present of presents,
the present all the other presents symbolize;
it needs to be opened.
You never opened it.
You forgot about it. You rummage
though your mind trying to remember. You
remember the weightlessness of the box. You
remember its ugly wrapping paper. You
remember the bow that was on top. But as strange as it is, you can't remember
actually opening and receiving the present.
Why didn't I open it?
What was in it? Will I get
another chance?
You start searching with determination, refusing to become
distracted. This time, you’re gonna open
it. You can’t wait for a chance to shred
the paper, destroy the box, and annihilate that red ribbon in order to see
what’s inside. The anticipation sort of
makes you feel like a kid again.
Suddenly, you see the unopened present. It’s really not much to look at. No wonder you didn’t take the time to open it
before; your focus on the present’s packaging kept you from receiving the
present. All this time, you were focused
on the present’s form instead of its function.
Maybe that’s how it is.
When the present is opened and received, maybe Christmas becomes a whole
lot bigger, deeper, and more beautiful. Maybe
our faith needs to be more like that of a child opening a present.
Christmas is this
beautiful thing. And people, for
thousands of years, have had their lives completely changed in receiving the
present God offers in Jesus – the present of Christmas. On the flip side, Christmas doesn’t have the
same appeal for those who haven’t really received the present.
Maybe this Christmas, we need to rip into the present. Like kids, maybe we need to know what it's like to receive pure joy.
And maybe that might look something like this:
And maybe that might look something like this:
Click Here: Opening the Unopened Present
