Well, It's a month after Christmas. The tree's down; decorations around the house have been packed away for another year; and the last of the treats and goodies have been eaten or thrown out. So, I ask you, "Where are all those awesome, must-have presents?"
At our house, I noticed some some amazing differences in both how the kids responded to the gifts, what they've done with them since, and what it could say about their hearts. On Christmas morning, Addie unwrapped a new doll, and we all new immediately that she considered it a worthy gift. From that moment she has cherished it and played with it every day. She's even taken some birthday money and invested in new clothes for her doll. These are the gifts that are truly appreciated, and the kids seem to go to extra lengths to protect and preserve them.
Owen opened his gift; a high powered, high velocity, strike fear in your enemy nerf gun. His girlish shriek told us that we had hit the jackpot, and he would be stalking and knocking down "prey" with his new weapon for hours daily from here to forever. However, between being punished for shooting his sisters, recklessness, and leaving his darts within striking distance of Oliver (our dog and Owen's other target), the nerf gun was abused, broken, and forgotten quickly.
These two scenarios generally reflect of one of two things: 1) the perceived value of the gift or 2) actual heart of the child. In our story, Addie attached significant value to the gift and took extra measures to care for it, and because of that she gets hours of joy through the use of it daily. In the second scenario, Owen was careless with his gift and now it's neglected and barely functional. I'm quite sure he's forgotten he has it.
The story of my children is as much our own:
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
Ephesians 2:1-10
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Because God loved us, He gave us a wonderful gift... the gift of everlasting life. And just like we do with our children, this gift was not because of anything we did or could do on our own. In fact, much like some of our children, if what we received was based on merit, we would be deserving nothing at all. None the less, like our kids on Christmas, the gift was there for us to accept.
So, the question for you is: "What have you done with your gift?" Have you cherished it and invested in it? Do you (and can you) use it daily? Or is it neglected? Dysfunctional? Abused?
Much like children and their gifts at Christmas, how we care for our human bodies as believers can be one reflection of our heart and may reveal selfish desires and passions of the flesh that remain when "we were dead in the trespasses and sin in which you once walked". Do you care for your body in such a way that allows you to utilize the gifts that God has given you? Now that we are together in Christ, do you care for your body, your spiritual house, as if Jesus were dwelling there too?
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