“For God so loved the world that He sent His only son.” John 3:16
During my high school years, I always worked the weeks leading up to Christmas in Miss Gloria’s jewelry and gift shop. My good friend and I were the official gift wrap team, and on occasion, we waited on customers.
One afternoon, our senior high school quarterback and best all around guy came into the store to shop for his girlfriend. We all watched in admiration as he strolled around the store and stopped before the case which contained diamond rings. Now, he was a farmer’s son, and everyone knew money was tight for his family. Miss Gloria was busy, so my friend and I walked over together to help him. We had all followed his love story with his sweetheart, and we were curious to know what he would give her this year.
He asked us to show him engagement rings, and it was with a great deal of excitement that we began to pull out all we had. One by one, he eliminated the rings until he found a small diamond ring. Although small, he wanted to know all about the diamond. We had Miss Gloria come over to explain the size, quality and clarity of the diamond. Although it was small, the stone was nearly perfect! He smiled, and said, “I’ll take it. It’s perfect.” He paid cash and told us he would be back later to pick it up.
My friend and I decided to give him the royal wrapping treatment for this perfect gift. We started with a tiny box which we put into a bigger box, then we put that box into a bigger box, and on and on. When we finished, the box was huge and beautifully wrapped! Perfect!
We were disappointed when he returned because he looked at the box, laughed, and said, “thank you, but she won’t care what size box I bring. She knows whatever I give her is a gift of love!”
Love can’t be measured by the size of the box which contains the gift. It is the gift itself that matters. God gave us the greatest gift in the form of a tiny baby who became our Savior. Christmas proves God’s love for us. He sent his son in human form to show us His love. Love literally came down from above at Christmas!