A Gift to the World
We must have tried a dozen poses before our little one yawned, closed her eyes and decided that our Christmas photo shoot was over. We struggled to select just the right photo, and then sent them to everyone since this was the first time they’d see her as we lived far away from our friends and family.
There was another photo in the batch, however, that stuck in my mind forever. In her red dress, she sat under the Christmas tree. Ribbons and bows were strewn everywhere, but she’d somehow managed to set a single bow on top of her head. In her red dress, she looked like a little gift placed carefully under the tree, and for sure, she was a gift to us.
Thinking about the Christ child, I know Mary saw Jesus as a precious gift to her as she adored Him for the first time. Others were drawn from a distance by a deep and mysterious tug at the heart, and some were beckoned by angels from Heaven, all called to see the Christ child. The first time they looked at Jesus, they knew that Mary’s gift was a gift that would be shared with the world. Days later, Simeon and Anna saw the Christ child the first time in the temple, and Simeon called Jesus, “…a light to the Gentiles and the glory of Israel” (Luke 2:32), understanding that Jesus was God’s gift to the world.
Among the ribbon, the glitter, and lights, will we see the Christ Child, God’s most wonderful gift to us? “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). See the Christ child…the most precious gift we will ever receive.
-TH –