Christmas Gifts

When I was a small girl, I asked my dad, "Why do we give presents to each other when it is Jesus' birthday?"

He answered, "Because we are supposed to see Jesus inside each other. In that way, we are giving presents to Jesus on His birthday."

Decades have passed since that answer and, while my dad passed away years ago, I still find value in those words.

In my youth, I strove to find the best gifts I could afford, as that is what Jesus deserves.

Now I reflect in my heart what Jesus/Yeshua truly wants on the day we celebrate His birth. He's already given us His wish list ~ and it's a short one:

• Love God
• Love each other

Christ our Lord is not looking for the most elaborate or most expensive gifts, or a pile of them under a well-decorated tree. He asks that we love one another.

Often that includes Forgiving someone who has hurt us, spending TIME with each other, and creating beautiful memories ~ with family, friends, and even those we do not know.

Share the Wonders of Love
As does our God Above 

~ ESA

Child's Present

There are times we are given a moment or two, to shed our adult perspectives and see things around us through the perceptions of a child:

• The wonder of a birdsong before the dawn's first light
• The sound of trees in the silent night forest as they speak to one another
• The touch of the wind as it sails past with a feather-like touch or hurricane force
• The pastels of early springs gradually darkening to the full colors of summer
• The thrill of singing a song, alone or with others - even if not sung well
• The pleasure in being part of team, working and playing together side-by-side
  
• The joy in listening or telling a story
• The scent of flowers blooming on the trees or of the first baking of the day....
  

• The touch of God on a soul when one prays

A young child can live completely in the moment, without worrying about the future or comparing what is around them with the past.

God, too, is in the present moment.

While being present in the past when the past WAS the present, and in the future when the future IS the present, God does not exist in the past/future of our minds. We may think that is so, but God EXISTS in the present.

When we focus on the future or dwell on the past, we miss a good part of what is around us NOW. But if we allow ourselves to fully experience the present, we can also come to know we are not alone in doing so.

A child can live completely in the moment, and we should strive to never loose that ability.

Past is past, forever gone
Future is beyond, ever an eon
Present is the gift that goes ever on.

- ESA