The Greatest Gift

My favorite image of Christmas is none other than the creche representing the birth scene of Jesus. There is not a more perfect representation of not only the real reason (for me the only reason) for the season: The birth of love Incarnate; of the one who made my soul feel its worth; of the one who makes my heart fatter; of the one who day after day shows me my life is worth living; of the one who has not only promised me, but has given me the grace to accept his gift of eternity.

The Savior of this world enters the battle scene not as a knight in shining armor on his steed, but as this beaming and innocent baby. He doesn't bring anything since he is the very light that breaks through the night, the healing for the broken, the hope for the hopeless, and the freedom to the captives. May I never forget that as he is all these things that I am the broken, the hopeless of a dark world held captive by the hardness of my very own heart. The reason for His coming. I am the reason for His birth. Jesus came, and, as any baby would, he melted the coldness of my fragile heart. This babe was born to die so that I can have life everlasting.

If his life isn't the greatest gift of all, then I don't know what is. His life makes everything else I remember to celebrate today possible. The gift Himself is the source of every other gift in my life. He didn't just give me gifts, he gave me himself who is the infinite source of my infinite desires.

The birth of Christ taking place in a lowly manger reminds me that some of the greatest gifts I have ever received came at a most humbling time of my life. It is often when I least expect it, and where I least expect to receive that I begin to realize how blessed I am. It's when God strips me of everything I thought I wanted for myself that I find myself left with only what I've simply always needed. These moments are the moments when I am thankful to realize that I am never lacking in anything and this is a miracle I refuse to take for granted. Christmas truly is a time to remember that the greatest gifts, if not all gifts, come unexpectedly. They are never something we deserve nor are they ends of a goal for which we work hard. They are not prizes or rewards for a job well done. They are given freely and out of love.

Jesus coming to us as a baby in this season reminds me that gifts are fragile and always require great care. Though there is nothing I can do to deserve the blessings in my life, my part is necessary in taking care of these gifts. I hope to never forget to recognize Him as the source of my everything. I hope to love the gifts He has given me enough to always share them with others.

True joy and true peace comes from realizing that we have been given everything that we need. When you realize that you will always have everything you need, you will have no fear of being generous because you realize that you have absolutely nothing to lose. A good gift transforms us and allows us to see that everything else around us is a gift. A gift does not point to itself, but rather to the love that moves the heart of the giver. Let us remember to always love the Giver more than His gifts. Let us simply remember Him. Christmas teaches us how to receive gifts, how to cherish them, and, ultimately, how to give ourselves as gifts to others.

May you find that your greatest gift is in the great mystery of His love for you.