Devotion #1: Good Gifts

Like it or love it, the Christmas season is right around the corner. Ever since my kids were born, I have attempted to find that one gift that I know they will want. I take an active interest in each of their interests by finding that one character figure, game, or book that will excite them. Yes, I am that 40-year-old man sifting through Pokémon cards to find the right one. Why do I do it? For my kids. Arnold’s passion in “Jingle All the Way” set the bar for what I do to make sure I find that exact gift that will lighten my kids’ faces on Christmas day.

I strive to ensure my kids know that their father loves them. There are many times I fail at showing them that I love them more than myself, but in the moments I am “fathering on all cylinders,” my hope is in all the Pokémon Cards, in all the superhero toys and costumes, in all the food, in all the amenities, and in all that I am. My hope is that my kids just know that their dad loves them in the most passionately irrational way.

I have an ulterior motive for why I want to show my kids such love. Yes, I want them to know that their earthly father loves them, but Matthew 7:11 says, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

I am not sure which statement Jesus makes here that your heart focused on, but for me, when Jesus says, “You then, who are evil,” and “How much more will your Father,” it really brought me closer to Him. The “you then, who are evil” is not meant to be a shot at one’s parenting skills. Jesus is letting us know the inescapable reality that outside of Jesus, everyone born on this Earth has sin. Yet, even we sinful, rebellious, selfish, proud fathers are capable of giving good gifts to our children. However, the ulterior motive for our gift-giving should be to reflect the One who gives at a level of “how much more.”

The reality is our Father, who is in Heaven, has given us the greatest gift, His love. The way that we know that God gives the best gifts is because God sent His Son to be with us, live among us, and die because of the evil that lives in our hearts. This Christmas season, give a good gift, but make sure that in your love, you are pointing your children to the One who gives far better than us.