What’s the best Christmas present you can ever give?
Give words. Share the gift of words.
Words can harm. They can bruise a spirit and injure a soul. Some people spend years trying to recover from crushing words. Of course, I’m not talking about these kind of words. I’m talking about encouraging, affirming, life-giving words.
My Story
Years ago, when I was almost 18, and just about to graduate from high school, my grandmother gave me a Bible for Christmas.
It’s a great Bible. In fact, it was my first study Bible – a New American Standard, Ryrie Study Bible. I still have it and occasionally use it today. It was a quite expensive gift for her at the time.
But the greater part of the gift was a supplement to the book inside the Bible.
Inside she included these handwritten notes. Please understand, I know the words of the Bible are eternally more important than the words of my grandmother, but I have lots of Bibles. The words she wrote cannot be duplicated by anyone else.
She shared her heart, wrote Scripture which was important to her and encouraged me to live a life of value. In her note, she expressed her joy in being my grandmother.
It was the greatest part of the gift. The most valuable.
It was true then and it is true now. I’m 55 years old – almost 56 – and this is still one of the best gifts I’ve ever received.
I still have the Bible. The Bible could be replaced. I can’t replace the notes my grandmother wrote.
My grandmother died in 2013, a few months after my grandfather. She was my last remaining grandparent. As soon as I heard of her death, I went to that Bible – to read the notes she had written. I have read these notes 100’s of times since she first wrote them. I’m positive, Lord willing, I’ll read them 100 more.
The best Christmas gift ever- at least that a human can give – is to give the gift of words.
Who needs a letter from you this Christmas?
Maybe a child, a grandchild, a parent, a spouse, a friend. Write! Give. Bless.
