If you are like me, trying to decide what to give to the people you love at Christmas can be a daunting and stressful task. Here is one gift that comes already wrapped, can’t be put under a tree, and will be remembered long after the other gifts begin gathering dust.
GIVE YOU!
1. Give your Time
Zig Ziglar once told me, “Love is spelled, T – I – M – E.” He is right. I think “time” has become the most valuable thing I have to offer and it is increasing in value the older I get. If I could do my life over one thing I would change would be to give my family and friends more time. I recently realized that the opportunity for this kind of giving closes far too quickly. My beautiful grandchildren once clamored for time with Grandpa. Now the older ones have there own bank account of time and it is I who must often ask to make withdrawals from that precious account.
2. Give your Attention
You ask, “Isn’t that the same as giving your time?” Early in the lives of my children I would bring them with me to many events and have them accompany me on my adventures. The key words in that sentence are ME and MY. Only later in life did I see how different that was from me being with THEM, creating adventure for THEM, or more importantly my being involved in the adventures they created for themselves.
3. Give them your verbal expression of love.
“I love you” may be the most important expression in the universe. I believe these are words we were born to hear and yet it is far to easy to let large chunks of time pass without saying those words. Without those words life is meaningless.
Giving the gift of those words brings meaning, hope the one who hears them. When I recently received a video birthday message from friends and family proclaiming their love, it stirred my soul. When I remember that the message of Christmas is about a creator expressing his love by giving HIMSELF, the assurance of that love informs and transforms my life every day.
God did so much more than give me commandments.
- He took time to come and live here. He experienced what I experience. He knows what I face.
- He focused his attention in my direction. He is there for me every day.
- He gifted me with the ultimate expression of love.
Oh yes, He did give me a commandment, the most important commandment of all. He said, “Give other people the gifts I have given you.”
[reminder]Do you remember a time when someone gave you time, attention, and love? How did it affect you?[/reminder]
Comments
This is the message we need to hear, instead of how much we should be buying. The marketing of Christmas makes me so sad.
Me too Margi, me too! 🙁
YES!! One of the gifts we give our children each year is an “experience”; to spend quality time together building lifelong memories. It’s my favorite gift every year. I was also sharing with friends yesterday that as a mama, the greatest gift I can give our children is to love and respect my husband!! As you said, this is one gift that will hopefully be long-remembered!
Your family has given some very special moment to us! We are grateful.
My Wife and I just watched your special on netflix. Thank you so much for the laughter and the laughter after we watched your show when we went in and played with our son and lived in those precious moments with him.
Those moments are forever.
My husband and I woke up this morning and had a discussion regarding our son. We were tired of crying, tired of our human emotions and questions, tired of Satan trying to rob us of the peace in knowing where our son was and that he truely loved the Lord.
Our son loved life, loved to make people laugh and was always helping someone.
This morning my husband turned on the tv and there you were. It was truely a blessing.
Our son died on October 25th at the age of 22.
There’s so much I would love to share, a song he wrote and put on FB three weeks before his death,
what a wonderful son and brother he was.
I just need to say Thank you and May God continue to bless you.
You made us laugh and reassured us how wonderful his love is and how blessed we were to have our son as long ss we did.
Mary, Thank you for sharing the joy and sorrow of your journey with us. I know this must be a difficult time of year. I prayed for you today. Prayed that even in the mist of your grief God would comfort you. There is no doubt that it hurts to love. But like you, I can’t imagine life without the opportunity to love and be loved. Thanks again Mary.