Re-gifting

Now that the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season is coming to an end, it is time to turn our attention to thoughts of the New Year. But before we do that, I would like to recount one more Christmas story.

I did not grow up in a Christian home, so our traditions were completely secular. One such tradition involved a toy troll. Now, we all know that re-gifting is somewhat tacky, and it is very important to make sure you remember who you received a particular gift from, before you give it away to someone else, in case you might inadvertently give that unwanted gift back to the person who gave it to you. And believe me, they will remember!

I am not sure where the tradition started, but by the time I came along, it had been going on for many years. At some point, someone in the family had given someone else a gift of a small, very ugly troll doll. It had large eyes, and wild hair that stuck out all over. It had really large feet and pointy ears, and its skin was all wrinkly. It had a nose like a pig, and a big round belly. It wore a t-shirt that didn't reach its belly, and tattered shorts. It was so very, very ugly!

The first recipient of that doll must not have seen the same beauty in it that the giver obviously admired, because the following year, it was passed on to a new owner. And the next year, and the next, and so on. It was kind of like the game of Old Maid. No one wanted to be gifted with that troll! You had to really pay attention to who opened the gift with the troll doll in it that year, because next year, you did not want to get a gift from that person, or you would be the next owner of the troll. It got to be kind of interesting as time went on. Sometimes the troll would end up in someone's stocking. Sometime in came by parcel post. But somehow, by the end of the year, the troll would find itself re-gifted to a new home.

Well, this year, I would like you to join me in a re-gifting challenge: What if we took what we were really given for Christmas, and re-gift it throughout the coming year? Have you been given the gift of grace? Try re-gifting it to someone who could use a little grace himself. Have you been forgiven? Offer forgiveness freely to those who don't deserve to be forgiven. Have you been loved? Re-gift that love to someone a little less lovable. Jesus said, “...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10). Lets resolve together this new year to share out of our abundance, and re-gift our blessings daily.