"We seldom get into trouble when we speak softly. It is only when we raise our voices that the sparks fly and tiny molehills become great mountains of contention."
No,
I’m not talking about the men in our families or among our
friends, even though finding the right gift for them can definitely
be a challenge sometimes. Instead, I’m thinking of Someone else
— the Man whose birth we celebrate this Christmas season —
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Have
you ever considered the irony? We almost always give gifts to the
important people in our lives on their birthdays. But when we
celebrate the birth of the most important Person in our lives, the
One who gives us every good gift (James 1:17,
Moroni 10:18),
we usually give gifts to others, and not to Him.
Not
that giving gifts to others at Christmas is a bad thing, of course.
The gifts we give each other in love surely bring joy to our Savior,
as well as to the recipients.
And
it is a bit more of a challenge to find a gift for the Lord on His
birthday, at least in the way we often find gifts. We can’t
really shop for one; we can’t order one online. We can’t
make it with our hands, wrap it up, and hand it to the Lord, or even
send it by special delivery.
So
what do you give the Creator of the universe for His birthday?
What gift do you give the One who holds everything in His hands? How
do you find the right gift for the Man who has everything?
I
don’t have an answer, at least not a specific one. But here are
some questions that might lead to a meaningful answer for each of us.
What
if we did the same thing in choosing a birthday gift for the Lord
that we do for other people? When choosing gifts for the special
people in our lives, we think about their likes, preferences, hopes,
and favorite things. We think about what would make them happy. We
often even ask them what gifts would be meaningful to them.
Why
not do the same thing when we choose a gift for the Lord? This year
for Christmas, give some serious thought to a gift for Him. In fact,
why not ask Him what He would like for His birthday, and really
listen for the answer — and then find a way to give that gift?
What
do you give the Man who has everything for His birthday? That’s
probably best left between you and Him. But I suspect that even the
Man who has everything can never have too much love or faith or
service from those He loved enough to die for (John 15:13).
Finding
a meaningful gift for the Savior might just lead to understanding the
meaning of Christmas in a whole new way.
Kathryn Grant is a user assistance professional with a passion
for usability and process
improvement. She also loves family history and enjoys the challenge and
reward of building her family tree.
As a child, she lived outside the United States for four years because of her father's job. This experience fueled her natural love of words and language, and also taught her to appreciate other cultures.
Kathryn values gratitude, teaching, learning, differences, and unity. She loves looking at star-filled skies, reading mind-stretching books, listening to contemporary Christian music, attending the temple, and eating fresh raspberries.
Kathryn teaches Sunday family history classes at the BYU Family History Library, and presents frequently at family history events. For more information, visit her Family History Learning Resources page
