Still “Making A List…”
John Fischer

My wife is a list person. She loves making lists; it gives her a sense of organization. Over the holidays with gift lists, dinner lists, and event lists, she is in list heaven.

As far as gift lists are concerned, we’ve made ours, checked it at least twice, and found out again how it’s more blessed to give than to receive. Not only more blessed, but more fun as well. Think of the favorite gift you gave this year versus the favorite gift you received and which brought you greater joy?

Whenever we give, we are partaking in the nature of God. It is not naturally human to give; it is entirely God-like. If there were any value in the commercialism of Christmas, it would be this. It gets us thinking about what someone else might like for a change, and it gets us giving. We spend our money on someone else. We enter into someone else’s life; we make someone else important. And since giving is one of the things that lends purpose to our lives, it would be wise to carry over some of what we experienced this holiday season and see how we can incorporate more of this sensitivity into our daily lives—keeping in mind that giving is an attitude and an action based on it. It doesn’t have to be a material gift. It can be the gift of our time or talents—even our thoughts.

Our family loves the Christmas Carol story by Charles Dickens that we see every year in so many different forms. The contrast between being a miser and a giver is the theme of this story, and it is a part of the value of this season for me because I am a miser at heart. Being reminded every year of the joy and value of lavish giving is part of the Christmas season well worth carrying on into the next year. Satan’s lie is that the more we hold onto, the more we will have, when the opposite is the truth. The more we give away, the fuller and richer life will be. Hopefully it won’t take the visits of three ghosts to get this.

Whenever we give we are tapping into the life of God. It would be good to think about the joy of giving we experienced this Christmas and look for what of this we can carry on into the New Year. Maybe we shouldn’t stop making lists. Keep those lists going. Keep thinking along the lines of what others need. Keep thinking about how we can surprise the people we love. My wife—the list person—would like that.

PDL