This is the time of year when parents are trying to figure out what to buy their children for Christmas. That is, of course, a noble endeavor. In the midst of wanting to provide valuable worldly possessions for your family, please remember the most important gift has already been purchased, and yet you can still give it.
No shortage of “stuff” exists in our culture. Video games. Designer clothes. Big-screen televisions. You name it. For those who have the money to readily spend or have the money to save so they can spend during this time of year exists a plethora of opportunities to bring smiles of delight. Those who don’t have a ton of money for the latest gadget or expensive items find plenty of reasonably priced gifts that bring happiness to their children.
But there’s a gift that means more than anything money can buy your child, and it’s one we don’t always value as we should not just on Christmas, but every day of every year.
Parents, the greatest gift you can ever give your child is a relationship with Jesus. Life without Christ is not the life your children—or you—was intended to have. Give them Jesus. Do it by having your own relationship with Him. Do it by teaching them about Him yourself. Do it by taking them to a Bible-believing church who will further teach them. Do it by modeling what it looks like to trust your life with Him by being obedient to Him. Let them hear you talk about Him. Let them hear you talk to Him. Let them realize He wants to talk, too, to those who want to listen. Let them see that the greatest gift of all is the gift of life with Him on earth and eternal life with Him in Heaven. Let them see what it looks like to stand in faith when struggles come. Many young people have no idea how to handle stress or defeat or even questions that arise as they navigate life. What’s in a person comes out in the most difficult of times and the best of times also, actually. Much of the mayhem we see around us results from people unprepared for what they will face simply because they exist. God has entrusted mankind as vessels through which children learn what matters, and what matters is to love Jesus and to know they are loved by Jesus, to honor Him. Nothing is more important and more long-lasting.
The bottom line is if you’ve given them everything their hearts desire but haven’t shaped their hearts to desire Jesus more than anything, what have you actually given them? Sure, if you can, give them the latest Jordan sneakers, the most powerful electronics, the Louis Vuitton bag (Oh, wait! That’s my wish! 🤣), the new coat. I love to give, and I look forward to when I can give more. But don’t forget to give them what—WHO—matters most. Give them Jesus. They will then have the foundation to choose to walk with Him and to then give Jesus to others, who will choose to walk with him and then give Jesus to others, who will… You get it. Jesus truly is the gift that keeps on giving. So if you have not yet received Him yourself, that’s step number one, parents…every person, actually, not just parents. Do that, and then share with your children and others. That’s the true “merry” in Christmas.
John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Acts 2:38b: Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Romans 10:9: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Merry Christmas!
Photo: Unsplash/Sandra Seitamaa
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