Think back as far and as hard as you can for this question: what is the greatest Christmas present you have ever gotten? Personally, I remember a certain MP3 player one year as being one of my all-time favorites. Isn't that funny- an MP3 player?! Some people reading this might not quite know what this pre-iPod contraption even is! I can still remember exactly where I was sitting in the house as I opened that mysterious box. I remember staring in disbelief at the beautiful blue RCA device before me once it was uncovered (which probably took awhile to unwrap because my mom is the tape queen and secures packages to withstand any natural disaster!). I think I was, or almost was, in tears as I called my grandma on the phone to tell her about the amazing gift I had gotten from my parents. Just as vividly as I remember my reaction to the gift, though, I also can recall my parents' anticipation as I ripped off the wrapping paper and discovered the treasure inside. Intently looking at me. Smiling from ear to ear when they saw I was pleased (and "pleased" is an understatement; I was ecstatic - completely beside myself with happiness!). I could have given nothing to them (and, being that I was young and unemployed, that might have indeed been a year where I did not get my parents their own gifts...) but they still would have been just as happy because they knew that I was. Though it's not all about material things, they knew that I would get a lot of enjoyment listening to music on that device. It was just what I needed. It wasn't the same exact present they got someone else - it was something personal they picked out specifically for me. The perfect gift. And I loved it.

I think we are used to referring to Jesus as a "gift" this time of year, but are we really keeping in mind the personal, specific-for-us frame of mind God was in when He sent Him? Jesus is definitely the Savior of the world: He is a gift to the nations. But, He is also extended to each and every individual person on the planet as well. Can you imagine how God feels when just one person acknowledges and appreciates His gift? Just one person! I think if my parents could be overjoyed when I loved my MP3 player, God must be so over-the-moon happy when one of His children fully embraces His Son. We have nothing to offer the Creator of the universe in return, yet He still decides to give us His only Son. How incredible a gift this is! On the flip side, can you imagine the utter pain and heartbreak God experiences when a son or daughter opens the gift, sees what's inside, and rejects it? It was a gift so carefully planned, so intimate and so necessary, but there were "better" things they could have received on that person's mind. Or it was a gift that they really could go without: one that would serve as a dust-collector on a high, unnoticed shelf. How disappointed would my parents have been if I blatantly spoke of that MP3 player's uselessness, or threw it in the back of my closet still in its packaging?

We all probably have gotten gifts that we no longer use, or maybe really couldn't use in the first place, but Jesus? How could we include Him in a list of not-well-thought-out presents? He was thought out as a gift for each of us before the beginning of time. To me, I think that tops even the coolest of MP3 players.

For people who have Christ in their lives alresdy, those who initially accepted God's gift, I think the gift and its necessity and power can sometimes be taken for granted. This may be seen in an "I can do this all by myself" kind of attitude, refusing to be vulnerable and rely on Jesus' strength. Or, maybe it's a pride issue, trying to deny the absolute necessity of receiving salvation and grace because we're already "good." All in all, everyone needs Jesus, but sometimes I think we try to ignore that personal gift tag on the box that says, indeed, all of the contents belong to, and are useful, to us.

May we unwrap for the first time, or perhaps bring back out, the gift of Jesus this season and recognize the personal extension of God's love He is to each and every one of us. Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas!