On Giving and Receiving

As the saying goes, it is much better to give than receive. At least I felt that way yesterday afternoon when I dutifully responded to cat cries and got up from my recliner to let Izzie inside, only to discover she had a wiggling mole dangling from her mouth!  She was so proud of her gift to me, as she tried to gain entry into the kitchen.  I was torn between wanting to give her the recognition she so wanted and the sympathy I felt for the small creature whose life was in jeopardy.

I did what any red blooded American woman would do; I called for my husband to come handle it!

The actual times he has been around to handle this type of situation have been so few, that I felt it was only fair that he be included in Izzie’s gift.  After all, I was certain it was intended for the both of us.  He eventually came to my rescue and went around back to see if he could coax Izzie to bring her present out through the cat door.  That didn’t work, but she did drop it and I was able to get her to come inside, allowing me to go out to the porch and unhook the door so that Dave could rescue the mole.   We’re not sure how extensive his injuries were, but Dave carefully placed in back in the woods under cover to meet his destiny.

As we move into the final days before Christmas and the tension builds as to whether I’ve made the right choices, I worry about just how my gifts will be received.  Will my gifts be received with joy or will the reaction be as if I’ve offered rodents to my friends and family?

I wonder if God feels that way sometimes when He looks down at us at Christmas.  These days the focus on the holy day is so much more about us and our hopes and dreams with a smidgeon of welcoming the Christ child into the world and less and less about the real meaning. I believe the true meaning isn’t about babies and stables but that we as Christians have been given the task to bring Christ into the world.  Just as Mary bore him in the stable, it is our job to be Christ-bearers.

It’s not always an easy gift to receive and accept or even understand.  But some gifts are like that, aren’t they Izzie?