The Most Unlikely of Gifts

The other evening I was listening to a segment on NPR concerning the mindset of the American consumer in light of the economic downturn. Their guest was making the point that people were tightening their belt this Christmas and “may only give a child ten gifts instead of the usual twenty.” What a commentary on our society. Materialism aside, we readily carry a mindset of excess. Limitations on the other hand, are at best tolerated and more than likely resented. Who wants to work with limited resources or have a limited selection of cereals or limit their calorie intake during the Christmas season?

Counter to our way of thinking, limits seem to be woven into the essence of Christmas. “Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, but stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!” (Philippians 2:6-7 Amplified) God-given limits for God. Limited privileges. Limited rightful dignity. Limited to a servant. Limited to a human body. Limited to space and time. Limited to a purposeful death.

Funny, but somehow while celebrating an Incarnation that accentuates limits it’s easy to resent ours. “Suck it up, work harder, figure a way around it…,” we tell ourselves. All the while we refuse to accept that our God-given limits are His imprint on our lives. Seasons of life are not negatives. Personality types are not failures. Emotional/physical/intellectual capacities are not curses. Neither are life situations. Yet they all define us and limit us.

Our limits are His gifts. Strange way of looking at it but true none the less. God gives and uses these to direct our lives into His thoughtful purposes. In our weakness His power is exhibited. It’s not the American way but most definitely God’s way. Maybe this Christmas is the perfect time to embrace the most unlikely of gifts.