Giving Gifts To Jesus

When I first became a mom, a strong desire welled up in me to make sure Christmas was magical and sparkling and over-the-top exciting for my kids. December would hit each year and the manic would set in for me. A voice in my head yelled, “We must decorate the house in every room, do eight hundred Christmas devotions, open advent calendars each day, get a perfect Santa picture, make DIY ornaments, light a fire and sip on hot cocoa while Christmas carols play in the background, etc, etc.” I would see friends doing cute things with their kids on Facebook and I would add it to our list.

Over the years, we have been working to simplify the season and to teach our kids the unsurpassable joy that comes from giving and loving others the way we have been lavishly loved by Jesus. We try to focus on blessing our friends and neighbors and making blessing bags for those in our community who might not have homes. These activities have been meaningful and important, but we still haven’t spent a ton of time focusing on what matters most--Jesus himself.

The other night I was nursing our baby and I could hear my husband tucking in our three older kids. They were excitedly going over all the things that they wanted for Christmas. I heard him say, “Well, what about Jesus? It’s his birthday not ours.” Then they all started talking about how funny it is that they get gifts on their birthdays and on Jesus’ birthday, but that Jesus doesn’t get any presents. We all decided that this year would be different and we’d each come up with a gift to give Jesus.

When Jesus came to earth as a baby that first Christmas, God’s amazing rescue plan was finally happening! God gave the world the most wonderful gift--He sent his own son to live with us and to save us from our sins forever. A group of wise men heard the news and traveled a long way to see Him. They had been waiting for God to keep His promise and send them a Savior. They knew He was the King of the world and they knew they just had to meet Him. When they finally arrived at the child’s home, they gave Him their most precious treasures of all- gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts were perfectly fit for a King. The wise men gave up their lives, their plans, their schedules, to find Him, worship him, and give him gifts.

So, how can we be like the wise men--totally adoring and devoted to our King?

What in the world can we give to Jesus, the King of all Kings, who already has everything? Ask your kids for ideas and make a list! Here are some ideas our family came up with:

Give Jesus your devotion.

He wants our whole entire hearts. Spend time surrendering, confessing, listening, praying, and worshiping. This can be done individually or as a family. A great way to do it together is to plan a Praise Party. Turn on your favorite worship songs and spend time dancing, singing, and kneeling before God. Thank Him together for sending His son Jesus that first Christmas! Another way to give Jesus the gift of devotion is to write letters to Him thanking Him for all that He has given us. Younger kids can decorate cards and draw pictures to King Jesus.

Give Jesus your time.

Serve together as a family. Find out if there are any family friendly service projects happening at your church or another local church. This year we are going to serve at our church’s homeless ministry. The first Saturday of every month, our church serves with God’s Pantry to provide food, clothes and prayer to those in need. We are so excited to do this as a family this Christmas season. We are also including grandparents so there are more adults to help with the littlest servers. 

My seven year old son came up with his favorite way to serve as a family. Make blessing bags! Head to the dollar store and purchase toiletry items and snacks to make blessing bags for those who are in need. We pass them out during the month of December and write a list on our phones of everyone’s names who we met and gave a bag too. Then we spend time as a family praying over the names.

Give Jesus your resources.

Help your kids earn some extra money around the house and then decide how to use it to bless others. They can go shopping and buy toys for a local toy drive or hospital. They can use it for church offering or to bless someone they know who is in need. 

My 5 year old came up with another great gift for Jesus in this category. She said, “What if we pick out toys from our room that we really love and give them away to kids who would love them even more?”

 After all, Christmas is not really about you and me— it’s about God coming to earth to be close to His people. It’s about Jesus.