No Place for the Grinch - Pt 3

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:13-21 ESV).

The second principle we should practice is that of wisdom. There are a few basics to remind ourselves about before we actually begin removing the Grinch from our Christmas and growing our hearts a few sizes. First, know how much you’re able to give. We should take care to guard against covetousness and selfish indulgence, resolve to give away some generous percentage of your gift budget to those in true need before you buy your Christmas gifts. However, as many overspend their budget, don’t add to the “stack.” As the Grinch of Dr. Seuss’ story learned, Christmas doesn’t need to come from a store. Second, be intentional and disciplined in your spending limit; and, do not go into debt. Buy what you can really afford. If you can’t afford to buy gifts, give the generous gift of your time and/or service. Let love, faithful stewardship, and self-control rule your gifting. Third, beware of false humility and/or pride. I’m sure I will never forget my first “white elephant gift” experience. I was well into my adult years when I learned of this tradition of bringing odd or unwanted items to gift to others as a planned event for Christmas gatherings. I’ve seen a lot of strange things exchange from one person to another in these events! However, one really sticks in my mind. Bear in mind the gift limit was $10.00. The usual items crossed the attention of the group at first. You know, things like Christmas socks, pet rocks, Chia pets, and bacon flavored toothpaste were a real hit. But then someone opened a single serve Keurig coffee machine. Now, it was accompanied with the explanation that it “really wasn’t that much,” and “I just had it lying around.” Of course it was the “hit” of the exchange of gifts. I rather think the giver more wanted to be praised for their generosity than anything else. I had a piece of firewood that year. It was my version of a “Yule log.” I know… I really do need to grow my heart several sizes! But, then, don’t we all?