Gifts from the Heart
My daughters came home recently all excited. They had little plastic bags filled with gifts they’d chosen during a Christmas shopping excursion at school.
All of them were eager to pass out the gifts they had purchased for family members. We were not allowed to wait unto Christmas.
Actually, as I think about it, Daddy purchased the gifts as I supplied the money that they used. I think we may change that part of the routine next year.
Be that as it may, the girls selected the gifts themselves and were all smiles as they passed them out to each other, their brother and me. They also couldn’t wait to tell their mother that they had bought Christmas presents for her, too.
The smiles on their faces were big. Their eyes were bright. They held their breath excitedly as they waited for the moment that I would unwrap each gift to reveal it.
The first one came from Emily, my 5-year-old. It was a watch that was displayed inside a plastic football.
“It’s in a football, Dad! You love football!” Emily beamed.
She’s right.
The next gift came from Kirsten, my oldest girl, and was a coffee mug with a lion on it, exclaiming “Dad is King of Our Jungle.”
She’s right. Our house is a jungle. Whether they accept me as king of that jungle is up for debate.
Then, Jaclyn gave me a few hints as to what might be wrapped up in the package she gave me.
“It’s something you wear and it starts with ‘H,’” she said.
Must be a hat, I said. I was right.
It’s my first NASCAR hat, complete with a race car, a checkered flag and “#1 DAD” emblazoned in big letters.
With each gift I opened, the girls’ faces got brighter and brighter. And each time I opened a present, I made sure to thank them as enthusiastically as I could.
The act of giving from their hearts had been a big blessing for them. But my showing genuine appreciation for their giving provided them with blessings that were almost more than they could handle. These three precious little girls were jumping up and down, clapping, hugging me and shouting.
I thought about this during church recently as we talked about ways we can give during the holiday season.
There are many ways we can give. A friend told me about a book called “The Five Love Languages.” The author discusses different ways we can show our love toward our fellow human beings.
There’s spending quality time with someone, speaking kind or encouraging words, giving gifts, performing acts of service and physical touch.
We are all blessed with the ability to perform at least one of these displays of love. Most of us are blessed in multiple areas, although we’re better at one than the others. We also receive love differently. Some of us may feel more loved when someone hugs us than when they give us a present or tell us they love us, for example.
This holiday season, I encourage all of you to show your love in the ways that are comfortable to you. Try some of the other ways, too. You never know when you can connect with somebody by playing Scrabble with them or patting them on the shoulder and telling them they’re special. Of course, they might prefer a couple chocolate chip cookies.
The act of giving will bless both of you greatly.
And don’t forget. When someone does these things for you, show sincere appreciation, even if they stumble over their words or give you a tie that’s two generations out of style. The blessings will go back to that person 10-fold.
