More Than a Penny
Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat;
Please put a penny in the old man’s hat.
If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do;
If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you.
With Christmas fast approaching, the old man’s hat is needing a lot more than a penny! Family, friends, bills…it all adds up.
We have made it a practice to try to give gifts that are homemade. Originally, the hope was that it would help us save a bit of money and express to the recipient our care for them in the time invested. The care part worked but I often found myself out shopping for supplies that ended up costing as much or more than if I had just bought a gift. My studio is full of bits and pieces that I’m just storing and I am facing another season of planning and budgeting.
This year, I am hoping/planning/aspiring to give from what I have without needing to go searching for more. With the stress of the upcoming season and the pressure to come up with ‘just the right thing’, I am choosing to share the wealth of what is already at my finger tips. Sewing from my stash, baking from the cupboard, paper crafting from the stack, offering hospitality, giving of my time.
When we give gifts to one another, it is out of an expression of love. Who amongst us would want a gift that caused grief to the giver? I can think of only one…God gave us the greatest possible gift, salvation through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
As the stores fill up and the wallets empty out, remember that God has already blessed you with the greatest gift of all, His Son, the Lord Jesus.