We’re all regifters. Some of us may be more honest about it than others. More ready to admit it. Perhaps some have only had the burning desire to regift an item, yet refrained (but you know what the Bible says about committing sin in your heart, so . . .) 😉
I’m not sure why “recycling” and “repurposing” are all the rage, and yet “regifting” is handled with such shamefaced secrecy. Okay, maybe I do see the problem. If it’s “the thought that counts” we must not be very thoughtful–and perhaps a little unthankful–if we are willing to be handed a present, only to quickly pass it off to someone else.
Truth be told, it isn’t that heartless or thoughtless from the giver’s perspective. But the giver sure hopes their deed isn’t discovered for fear of being perceived as an ungrateful, lame gift giver. It can be a sticky quandary. Or so I’ve heard.
As we celebrate the greatest gift of all–the gift of Emmanuel, God with Us–I want to encourage you all, in as strong of terms as possible, to REGIFT YOUR GIFTS!
What sort of gifts have YOU been entrusted with? First off, if you are a child of the King born in Bethlehem, you have the “indescribable gift” of salvation that can readily be shared with a terribly dark and hurting world. You can regift hope and healing and purpose to shattered, despairing, futile world.
Beyond that, we each have effortless gifts are easily regifted. Joy, Kindness, a hug, a smile. Those are free, often contagious items, that no one will mind us sharing.
And how about your very unique gifts? The things that make you, YOU. Do you have a gift of painting, writing, building, composing, or encouraging? Do you love to serve or teach? Whatever the talent dwelling inside, it is not meant to stay there. Regift it! Use it! Make a difference with it.
We are blessed, so very blessed, to live in a free country. We have opportunities here that other people only dream about possessing. People are killed, daily, for things we all take for granted every day (preaching to myself, here).
I’ve got a Christmas Advent book about the stories behind our most-loved Christmas Carols. Come Let us Adore Him by Robert J. Morgan is a nice little history lesson about the writers of the old Christmas hymns like “Joy to the World” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”.
The preface has a story that brings home the whole point of this post in a very poignant way. Morgan writes about the plight of Christians in North Korea. He asked a Korean businessman about the believers in this suppressed part of the world. This was the reply:
‘”They have suffered greatly . . . There has been terrible persecution, and thousands of Christians have died for their faith; yet many believers still worship despite the danger and death threats. When they gather, it’s in complete secrecy; and when the sing, it is done is silence. They open their mouths in unison, but they allow no sound from their voices for fear of being overheard.”‘
Wow.
No sound allowed. Think about that. No singing. No speaking casually in public. No freedom to use their gifts to bless the world around them. No blog posts ranting about their situation. No Facebook statuses sharing a scripture or a prayer request. Any one of those things could result in a death sentence.
Sobering, isn’t it?
This year New Year, let’s all commit to regifting our gifts. Whatever blessings you’ve been entrusted with, big or small, let them be used responsibly. Not to make a great name for ourselves but to make others look up from their broken, painful situations and discover hope, shining like a Star, pointing to the heavens and reflecting God’s glory in each of our gifts.
Boldly regift! Merry Christmas!
