I sat in church last Sunday listening to our preacher give a sermon on "The Unopened Gift." The moral behind the sermon was how Jesus is the unopened gift under your tree every year and to embrass his gift to us. After leaving church I realized that this general idea can apply not only to God's love but in other areas in our lives as well.
How many of us as children could not wait for Christmas morning? It was the most exciting day of the year in my young mind. I could not wait to rush down stairs and tear open those presents under the tree. When all was said and done and wrapping paper was strewn across the living room floor, I would always peer back under the tree to see if there were any last gifts with my name on them. Usually there was a least one gift left for an aunt or uncle due later in the day but those packages kept calling to me and my curious mind.
Often we rip into these material gifts and forget more important ones. Don't get me wrong I love all the shiny baubles, books, and clothes I got for Christmas but after hearing that sermon I realized I was forgetting something much more important. I realized how much I don't think about my family and friends. The two most important facets of my life and I don't take the time to truly appreciate them. Clothes wear out, books get read and discarded, toys break but these two wonderful gifts stick by us through most everything. They indure heartbreaks with us, they support our every efforts, they teach us valuable lessons, they stick by us and defend us even when we are wrong, they forgive us when we mess up and they love us unconditionally.
We live in a high speed, high tech world where everything rushes at and by so fast we have little chance to really absorb something before its gone and the next thing is coming. So during this holiday season I encourage you to show your friends and family how much they mean to you. Be it a small thing like hugging your mom and just saying "Thanks for everything you do for me" or writing a small note in card to a friend let those special people know just how much their support means. So rip the paper off that precious unopened gift and see how important the love of your family and friends is.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,
~Khrystian