Welcome to 7 Days of Christmas, a full, fun week of stories, thoughts, and scripture leading up to Christmas Day. Just a little gift from me to you, dear BBFF (Blessed Blog Friend Forever). May your blessings outweigh your stressings as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!
“‘Don’t be frightened, Mary,’ the angel told her, ‘ for God has decided to wonderfully bless you!'” (Luke 1:30 TLB)
My then three-year-old grandson ripped open the Christmas gift from his little friend. The other boy and his mama stood by in smiling anticipation of Blaine’s response.
Blaine’s bottom lip slipped into pouty-protrusion mode. “This isn’t what I wanted,” he said, handing the unappreciated gift back to its giver.
Gratitude. We’re supposed to be grateful for the amazing gift of Papa God’s Son in the form of a babe in a manger. And we are. For at least ten minutes every day. But what about the other 1,430 minutes?
It’s hard to stay grateful during the craziness of the season, isn’t it? Even for good gifts. But many aren’t. At least not in our initial perception.
Oh c’mon – don’t deny that you inwardly cringe when you open those hideous socks. Or that you fight an impulse to flee out back and hide behind the philodendrons when your mother-in-law arrives. Or that you resent hosting Christmas dinner yet again because lazy Cousin Bertha won’t take a turn.
Yep, we all feel a bit like three-year-olds at times.
But what if we were to wake up tomorrow with only the things we thanked Papa God for today? Things would look a little differently, wouldn’t they?
Warm socks would become a treasure on cold nights, a comfort many people lack. The mother of your spouse produced that person you loved enough to marry, for better and worse. And all that food threatening to collapse your 
table is a privilege not enjoyed by more than half the world.
It’s all in the way we look at it, isn’t it? Like a selfish three-year-old. Or like the humble recipient of a good and perfect gift from our heavenly Father.
Prayer for Today
Ever-Loving Lord, I’m eternally grateful for the undeserved blessings You lavish on me today and forever. Especially for the marvelous gift of Your Son.
*Excerpted from my 365-day devotional, Too Blessed to be Stressed: Inspiration for Every Day (click title to order)
Thankful for you, Debora!