:. good gifts & great darkness .:

I'm so very, very excited for Christmas morning! The bright, shining faces of the little ones; sugar plum visions dancing merrily; that oh, so delicious brunch awaiting! Yes, I love Christmas morning.
Besides all that, this year I seem to have found the perfect gifts for everyone on my list. For instance, I'm absolutely GIDDY, anticipating Gavin's face when he lays eyes on 'dark bunny' (the one thing he keeps telling mommy he really, really hopes he gets for Christmas).
[What is dark bunny, you ask? Doesn't matter. Suffice it to say, Gav has his heart set on it, and dark bunny is exactly what he shall get!]

Isn't it grand to know you've found just the right thing to give? The thing that will show the recipient just how much you love them?

I'm certain God the Father gets giddy, giving gifts to His kids. Scripture teaches that:

"Every good and perfect gift is from above,

coming down from the Father of lights."

Can't you just imagine Him being over-the-top excited as He unfolds His gifts in the lives of His beloved children?
I like what Jesus tells us:

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

And on a similar note, allow me to tell you a little story:

Years ago when the girls were little, we took a very rare (and therefore, treasured!) family vacation to Colorado. We spent a wonderful week in the glorious Rocky Mountains, seeing the sights, visiting with a dear uncle of mine, doing touristy things. One of the things we chose to do was visit Cave of the Winds.

We joined the tour, and wound our way deeeeeep inside a mountain. (It's been a long time, but I remember the tour guide mentioning something about being A MILE underneath the earth. A. MILE.)
Now, what you need to know is that THIS girl is so VERY claustrophobic. Ridiculously claustrophobic. Like the time I pulled up to a stop light, and happened to find myself with a city bus on either side of me. Panic set in, as in: OH MY STARS, GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!!!! Like I said, ridiculously claustrophobic.

But since I refuse to allow fear to dictate my actions, and since I wanted to be a part of this family adventure, I summoned all the intestinal fortitude I could muster, and joined the group heading into the mountain. Sure, we saw stalactites and stalagmites, and whatever other ites there are; sure, it was a very cool and unusual glimpse of creation you don't get everyday. But did I mention we were A MILE under the earth? And at one point, I recall, we had to actually get down on hands and knees and CRAWL through some tiny opening to get to the next point on our tour. SHUDDER!

But here's the whole point: we finally arrived in a largish cavern, and the tour guide very dramatically said she was going to switch off the lights so that we could experience just how dark it was in the cave. Out went the lights . . .

utter darkness. thick blackness. impenetrable night.

Which brings me to my all-time favorite verse of the season:

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of darkness

a light has dawned."

~ Isaiah 9:2 ~

Most of us aren't even aware of just how great is the darkness in which we live. We squint, we stumble, we get used to the dark. But the Light of the world has come and we no longer need to walk blindly.
God gave His most perfect gift when He sent Jesus into the world. May you know Him, in whom "there is no darkness at all."

Merry Christmas to all!