I've scrolled through online shops, Black Friday sale pages, Cyber Monday pages, and don't tell, but I'm getting kind of desperate. My husband is easy to buy for, but finding just the right gifts for my two girls is a real challenge.
Why? Because when grandmothers, aunties, and other assorted people called, I foolishly spilled all the best ideas. I know that I could go to Wal-mart at 0h-dark-30 in the morning after Thanksgiving and buy lots of random electronics, toys, and clothes in hopes that if I throw enough presents under the tree, it will by definition be a Christmas to remember. But that seems not only futile but foolish.
I want perfect presents. Not just things they'll play with but things they'll remember. And not just for my girls but for my husband, our parents, and our siblings.
I remember several spectacular Christmases where my mother went far out of her way to find the perfect gift for her excessively nerdly child. While my sweet sister wanted toys, dolls and play-doh, I wanted books and some pretty esoteric ones at that. One year it was even a book on the minor prophets.
Without the internet to help, my mom went to a lot of trouble, including getting help from our minister, finding catalogs that leaned towards theology, and trying to pick books on subjects she was not so familiar with. Mom put an enormous amount of effort into fostering my learning about God. Whatever my wide interest if it was good for my spiritual growth, she'd find it.
Neither of my girls is asking for spiritual gifts necessarily. Yet because she loves to draw, my older daughter will be getting a journaling Bible. If I knew of a book for 6 year olds on evangelism I would buy one for the wee one. There is a neighbor kid who attends church with us and she has been praying everyday for her to "know that you are the one true Lord." If you happen to have a link to such a book please comment! I bet there are people in your lives for which you want to choose a special spiritual gift.
I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with an I-Tunes gift card, an Elsa doll or a new game for the PS3. But remember this?
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things (Philippians 4:8).
If you've been on a journey to live out this scripture, you might want to choose gifts that reflect loveliness and excellence into the lives of the people you love.
And we want to help.
For the next several Wednesdays we will be offering a gift giving guide. We'll have spiritual gift ideas for children and adults, and we'll include links for places online where these things can be purchased. Some of the products we are recommending we've reviewed before, some of them we got a copy of from the publisher, some we just bought for people in our lives. None of the links are affiliate links, however. We won't be making any money off this project. We're just hoping to help you find the perfect gift, something to raise the standards for Christmases to come, something your loved ones can chew on, wrestle with and grow from! Join us for the next several weeks of the "Whatsoever Gift-Giving Guide"
Helene
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