Bible Reading: John 3:16-17; Romans 6:23; Colossians 3:15

Kristy plopped down on the couch. The wintry sky was gray, and it matched her mood perfectly. She kicked away the plastic ball her baby brother had gotten for Christmas and sighed. If only she had gotten the game she’d been hoping for since her birthday in October. It was bad enough the whole world still seemed drenched in the cheerfulness of the season. Now she had to wait ten whole months before she had any chance of getting the one thing she’d wanted for so long.

She stared as little Jake balanced on his tiny belly, straining with all his might to reach the plug of the lamp that hung just out of reach. Drool dribbled from his toothless mouth as he concentrated. Kristy reached for the ball and rolled it toward him, but he ignored it, still determined to grasp the dangling cord.

“Come on, Jakey,” Kristy said, wiggling the ball to distract him. “That cord’s not good for you. That heavy lamp could fall.” She tried pulling him out of sight of the cord, but he screamed in angry protest. “Shh.” She rubbed his back, but it only made him angrier. “You don’t understand. You have so many fun things over here in your basket. Why do you cry over the one thing you can’t have?”

Suddenly a small voice pierced Kristy’s heart, and she winced. She’d been acting no different than Baby Jake. Why do I mope over one thing I can’t have? she thought.

Kristy looked around the room. The Bible Grandma had given her still sat in its box. She tugged it out of the packaging and let it fall open. Her eyes fell on a verse that said, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” Her eyes moistened as she pictured Jesus on the cross, arms open wide, loving her as He gave the gift of His life to pay for her unthankfulness and every other sin.

Across the room, Jakey sat watching her, his drooly thumb half sticking out of his mouth. She caught his eye, and he broke into a toothless grin.

Suddenly Kristy felt like the world’s richest girl. “Thank you, God, for giving me the gift of all gifts–Your Son, Jesus!”

–Rebekah Love Dorris

How About You?
Have you ever been so focused on what you didn’t have that you forgot all that God has given you? It’s easy for us to compare what we have with what our friends have, but that doesn’t make it right. It’s always more satisfying to count your blessings than to write a wish list. This Christmas, thank God for giving you the best gift of all–the gift of Jesus.

Today’s Key Verse:
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (NKJV) (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Today’s Key Thought:
Be thankful