Good Good Life

Gifts that seem odd when we receive them might turn out to be a blessing years later; including the greatest gift ever given.

Have you ever received a gift which seemed an odd choice when you unpacked it?
You looked at it and wondered why on earth someone would gift you that? 

When I was a teenager I got a black gilet (see the photo) from some relatives. I looked at it at the time and thought it was an odd gift. Neither stylish, nor useful.

For some reason I kept it and now, some 20 years later, it proves to be a perfect winter working-from-home piece of clothing. I wear it almost daily in winter months and absolutely love it. 

I might’ve missed out on all its benefits if I gave it away when I first got it.

Have you received any gifts like that? Something you didn’t appreciate at first but after some time found it useful? Or maybe, you even got rid of it to later regret it?

How odd

What about Jesus – a rather odd gift to the humanity? Or at least it might appear that to some.
Jews were waiting for the Messiah, a king, and whom did they get? A baby in a manger. He couldn’t look after himself, leave alone freeing a whole nation from Roman rule and saving the world!

He was so well hidden a gift that many didn’t even realise they had received anything.
Later on, He lived a humble life, challenged their way of living and hang out with sinners. Eventually, He died a criminal’s death. How could He be God’s perfect gift?

“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.

Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave, and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form. he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

Philippians 2:6-8 NLT

Perfect gift in God’s eyes, but so despised by those He came to and for.

Prophets foretold Jesus coming with big words – Prince of Peace, Mighty Counsellor and others, so Jews, in our human limitation, looked for a mighty and powerful one when thinking of the coming Messiah.

Often, we expect one thing but the giver gives us something else which ends with disappointment. Most often it happens because they don’t know us well enough or because buying a gift is more of a chore than an intentional act of kindness and love.

Odd to us, perfect to God

But that wasn’t and isn’t the case with God. He didn’t give us Jesus coming as a baby because He didn’t know us well enough but because He knew (and continues knowing) us all too well. He doesn’t make mistakes. There’s no need to return the gift.

All His gifts are well thought through. And like those living in Jesus’ time had to trust God that He was what they, and all the humanity, needed, we need to trust that what we receive today (e.g. circumstances, news etc.) is what we need for God’s perfect will to be accomplished. See past the ‘wrapping’ and look for what’s behind it.

In Jews’ eyes, He was an odd gift but in the eyes of the giver He was the perfect gift; the one humanity didn’t know it needed. 

God’s thoughts aren’t our thoughts and He channeled His mighty love and power into a Jewish virgin about to be married to a carpenter and into a baby. Not exactly what we would’ve done.

Same like me with the gilet, they looked at Him thinking how He was supposed to be the perfect gift. He didn’t fit their definition of a gift. But same like me, years later, some of them realised what a gift He was and is.

In hindsight

All those years later, we too realise how ‘useful’ and ‘practical’ this gift is. 

There’s nothing we need more than Jesus. Coming as a baby, to a not-well-off family, in the middle of the night, with no audience to applaud his birth, with no royal announcement. In an ordinary way, the same way all of us arrive in this world. But with God’s power inside to show us what life really is all about. To reconcile us to the one who made us. To show us our value. To show us we can be loved and that we have purpose in this life. So we can live life like we were always meant to – in ALL its fulness.

Sadly, even now, with all the hindsight, we often discard the value of the gift Jesus is. Either by completely rejecting Him, and living our version of life with us in the role of god, or accepting Him but then not making the most of the gift. Even as His followers, we don’t always fully appreciate what a treasure He is.

This Christmas time, let’s not rush to unpack the new material gifts, however lovely and thoughtful they are, but let’s dust off the gift we received years ago and see Him for what He truly is.

Can you think of a gift you receive that seemed odd at first but then proved to be useful? Is Jesus an odd gift to you that you would like to explore further?