Shifts and Surprises!

Christmas has come and gone for yet another year. It seems to me that a shift is taking place. Not a dramatic one and probably not a significant one, but it is a change that makes me stop and think about how our lives with God shift as we grow older. (Why is it that when I find a space in time to get all reflective, a massive shouting match breaks out on the street and all the neighbours flock to see? It seems people are still edgy over the stabbings that occurred about a month ago, killing two of my neighbours.) Now, where was I?

Once upon a time Christmas morning was abuzz with little ones teetering on the edge of hysteria at the thought of opening the surprises in their overstuff stockings. As the years rolled on, this level of euforia has dwindled, slowed, and then took a gradual turn.

This particular Christmas morning (actually afternoon since Mexico celebrates Christmas Eve with a large meal that lasts into the wee hours of the morning, and no one wants to get up early on the 25th, ever!), I realized that our kids' greatest moment of delight was watching their parents open these fantastic stocking fillers! They told us they took hours choosing what to get us and and had the most fun doing it.

When did this shift occur? When did my kids 'grow up', and find more excitement in giving instead of getting? Well, they still like the getting too.

Is it not the same with falling in love? It's all firecrackers and jingle bells at first, and then over time we mature and realize it is better to give than to receive.

As I have been following my Saviour now, for close to 40 years, I have grown to love serving Him beyond words. With each New Year, come the challenges and heartbreaks of dealing with the poor and the broken on a daily basis, but there also comes a deep-seated joy, an expectation. What surprises will He let me discover this year? What crazy gift has He secretly planned for me to unwrap? Better yet, what can I surprise Him with? It may take me hours to plan, perhaps even all year, but I can't wait.