Do you like to receive surprises at Christmas? I’m not talking about the Starbucks gift card, the membership to the health club, the new iPhone or those Omaha Steaks. I’m talking about gifts that Jesus sends when you least expect them. A lot of gifts, so many gifts you’ll be humbled and astonished by his generosity and if you’re like me, the first thing you’ll think is, “What did I do to deserve this?”
Bad thought. You don’t deserve them, no matter what you did or didn’t do. The second thing you’ll think is, “What do I owe him for all this?” Another bad thought because you’ll never be able to “repay” Jesus and you’ll never outdo him in generosity, and that shouldn’t be the spirit in which you accept a gift anyway.
You have to be prepared and watch for the Christmas magic to unfold as his birthday approaches. Watch and wait. Then, you’ll see and be thankful, and it will make your Christmas the most memorable ever because you’ll realize Jesus is REALLY thinking about you every moment.
You’re probably asking, “What are these gifts, which suddenly and wonderfully appear when you least expect them?” For seven years now, I’ve been keeping a personal list so I don’t forget them. They generally start coming when Advent begins and then, they just keep on coming. To give you an idea, here are a few I’ve received already.
I realized the prayers I’ve been saying so long for someone’s conversion are being answered. Sometimes over the years when I prayed for her, I would wonder, “Is anyone listening? Is this a waste of my time?” And then out of the blue, a few days ago I heard she’s going back to church, and I was overwhelmed with surprise and joy. Actually, I was so encouraged that I doubled my efforts. To my thinking, there’s no greater gift than learning your prayers for someone else are being answered.
Then, one afternoon I got an email from a high school friend I hadn’t heard from in decades who was there during my tumultuous teenage years. He’s living in Arizona now, and he saw something I wrote and reached out to say hello and catch up.
Then, at Sunday Mass, I heard a hymn that moved me so deeply, tears welled in my eyes and I’m not known for crying. That was the Holy Spirit touching my heart, just to remind me I’m never alone — we’re never alone — and that Jesus is always there, waiting to get our attention.
And recently, while I was sitting in the pew saying my prayers before daily Mass, my 94-year old friend Ann walked up behind me and handed me a paper bag and said, “This is for you.” I looked inside. It was a vintage cribbage board that she and her late husband used to played on. She knew I collected cribbage boards and wanted me to have it. It was a spontaneous act of kindness. That cribbage board, alone, would have been enough to make this Christmas extra-special.
Then, there was the night my wife was talking to one of our daughters, with whom I’ve had arguments over the years. (Let me just say we both have a hard time keeping our mouths shut.) But this time, while they were on speaker phone, she spontaneously said, “I love you, Dad, and I want to thank you for everything you’ve done.”
Pick me up off the floor. What did I do to deserve that? I immediately realized it was another answered prayer. While I was sleeping, the Holy Spirit was working overtime.
“I love you, too,” I responded. “I’m so proud you’re my daughter.”
All season long, there will be gifts from Jesus, but you have to watch for them. You can’t be so distracted that you miss the best part of Christmas, when God gives us gifts.
Ask yourself — what kind of God would he be if he didn’t give gifts at Christmas? Of course, he’s not Santa. He’s not making a list and checking it twice, to find out if you’ve been naughty or nice. He just does it out of pure love for us.
