Day 7 - Issue 26
Matthew 6:21 NLT
'Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.'
Keeping our heart focused on God is very challenging. I often get distracted by things that demand my attention or by fears that God’s provision will fail me at a critical point, and so I seek to take remedial action for my own protection. Christmas can be like this.
Last December Jayne and I were in our favourite coffee house, chatting to a waitress we knew well. We compared notes on our readiness for Christmas. She had just been Christmas shopping and was surprised at how much money she had spent. She was appropriately seeking to provide thoughtful gifts for all her family, yet was running out of budget.
I sometimes worry that my gifts may look mean and fail to show appropriate appreciation for the ones I love. How have I become so commercialised and allowed consumer culture to dehumanise both myself and the people I buy gifts for?
Jayne and I have now agreed to spend no more than £50 on Christmas gifts for each other which we can spread across the year. This has made gift-giving more special, for we seek out gifts with greater care. Jayne likes surprises so refuses to create lists and would send me to the shed if I ever openly told her what I might want! Instead we carefully listen throughout the year and collect ideas of what each other would most like. We have also trimmed the Christmas food budget to avoid overeating.
Much of the mystery of Christmas has returned for we aren’t overwhelmed with the material side of the festival. We eat and drink well, yet in moderation, and enjoy the extended time we have with each other as a consequence. Once we consciously determined how we would celebrate Christmas, it took on a fresh level of meaning.
QUESTION: Where will you place your treasure next Christmas?
PRAYER: Lord, may your presence be what I treasure most.
