Unwrap the Gift

Unwrapping presents had rules at my house:

1. Don't crush the bow.

2. Don't tear the paper; it can be reused.

When the kids came along the rules changed:

1. Only one person at a time can open a present.

2. The others have to watch while it is being opened.

My son reminded me recently of other rules we had:

1. Wait until the coffee is ready.

2. Really, wait until the coffee is ready.

He still feels the sting of that perceived abuse and suggests that we could have set the timer on the pot to be ready the next morning when we got up. (Actually, we didn't have such a thing back then.)

Whether it was child abuse to make them wait or a horrible addiction to caffeine, the fact remains they waited.

One by one each gift was torn open with joy and laughter as the paper and bows were left for me to clean up. After the last gift was opened the kids ran to their rooms to play and I scrambled to the kitchen for more coffee and dinner preparation.

Maybe you're thinking what's going on here? Christmas is long gone. Even the old man, excuse me, the older gentleman down the street has removed the last light. I want to remind you to unwrap your gift. When you put away the decorations, you didn't put away your gift did you?

Did you remember to unwrap it? Now that all the hustle and bustle is over and even now that the super bowl is behind us, did you remember to unwrap it? The gift I'm refering to is the gift of His peace.

It is a gift I refuse to put away this year. I keep going back and picking it up. In the face of all the turmoil around me I choose to trust Him. In the face of financial struggles, downsizing and businesses closing, I choose to live in peace. Jesus came to give us peace, but peace is a choice. David said, what time I am afraid I will trust.

I choose, like David, to trust.