Last night my parents-in-law came to spend the evening. Upon their arrival around suppertime, we seemed to have an immediate gift exchange. The kids wanted Papaw and Grandma to open their gifts "hurry, right now!" Next the kids opened their gifts. And just when I thought "Hurray! We get to eat!", Fred came around the room with another round of fun. He had a plastic coffee container filled with loose change. He allowed each child (and ultimately each parent - yipee) to dip their hand in, and grab as much money as they could.
He loves to tell the story of my niece, Mallory's first experience with the "money can". She reached her hand in, but once it was full of coins, she couldn't quite squeeze it back out. He advised, "Loosen your grip, a little." His young, but savvy granddaughter retorted, "No way, Papaw! Then I'll loose some of the money!" We giggled at Mallory's plight as we each strategized our own dive. In those brief moments of housewide grabbiness, I thought, "We are a greedy bunch, aren't we?"
Then I looked a little closer. Everyone was giggling and chanting...Freddie, by far, the most enthusiastic of the lot. "Git in there, kiddo! Gitya all you can!" he would cheer. He even let Ashlin's little hand go one more time. As capacitated fists emerged from the can, renegade coins escaped between fingers to go bouncing and spinning along the floor. In full participation, our cozy crowd applauded the spectacle. Each counted his bounty and finally washed up for dinner.
I am so thankful for the kind generosity of my father-in-law. He definitely passed it along to his son, and I reap the benefits and blessing almost daily.
I'm even more grateful that my Father in Heaven is the generous giver of Life! He sent along His Son to make all things possible. His kindness leads me to repentance.
This Christmas Season, my prayer is this: as the Father offers you a portion of His wealth, I pray we have the confidence to dive deep into His riches, hold tight to His precious promises, and be willing to share with others out of the overflow of His blessings. His desire is that you come away from time spent with him with boundless joy and peace...and an undeniable hunger for more!
"David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying.
'Praise be to you, O Lord, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name."
"But who are we, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand....I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. O Lord, God of our fathers, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you." 1 Chronicles 29:10-18
"But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:4-7
