GIFT OF YOURSELF
You are saying, wait a minute, the time of year for gift giving is over. Not if you have a grandson whose birthday is in January and son-in-law whose birthday is in February. But that is not the type of gift I want to focus on. The focus for today is on the gift of ourselves. That type of gift requires time. That type of gift requires letting someone know that they are valuable and worth your physical time.
The greatest gift we can give, is of ourself. God has put people in our lives who need us and we need to give the gift of time to them. I have so many people who have mentored me through their lives and the sacrifices they made for me, who have passed on to be with our Lord. They are now in my past, the shadows of my mind. If it hadn’t been for them, I would not be who I am today. They were such a wonderful example of someone taking the time to give me the gift of themselves. I am getting older. (Duh, you say!) Well, maybe, it is time for me to be a mentor to someone else! The mentors of my past were there for me in my time of need, now it is time for me to follow that great example of their gift of themselves, and me be there for others. To be the one who the younger look up to and know if they need someone, I will be there to listen, comfort, hug and pray.
Life is so short! James 4:14 says “whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” I was blessed to be close to my great-aunt Lena (Madalyn). She never married. Her fiancé lost his life in the war and she never dated or wanted to marry anyone else. She took care of her father all her life. In fact, when I was little, I thought they were married. I remember when my mind figured that out. It was like a lightbulb moment. Years ago, when my kids were still home and was one of the busiest times of my life, I remember having this gut feeling to give her a call. Well, the night went on, fixed supper-got baths done-pajamas on-sent all to bed. Late that night I remembered that gut feeling to give her a call. I had forgotten and it was so late. I could give her a call in the morning. I did not get that chance. She passed away that night. I had not taken those few moments of time to call and give her encouragement. I will regret that for the rest of my life!
People give excuses of why they don’t go visit an aged person or their parents. I have. This world is such a busy place. So many things demanding our time. I think that the age we live in, with our cell phones and emails, it is easy to all of a sudden realize we have spent hours on our devices. If we are putting off talking to someone who has made the sacrifice of time for us, we need to stop what we are doing and give them a call, text, email, card. Give them the time, the gift of yourself. We cannot lean on the failures of our parents, to feel ok about not being with them. I am one of the blessed daughters, whose parents invested their time, love and energy in my upbringing. But not everyone can say that. If that is you, don’t judge them by what they knew, according to what you know. They may have been doing the best they could! If they were gone tomorrow, would you be satisfied that you had let them know of your forgiveness-your laughter-your love.
I remember hearing someone say at a relative’s funeral, ‘if only I had another chance to be with them, to spend time with them.’ There has been a Christmas movie series called, “Five Minutes.” The main character is wishing they could have even five minutes more with their loved one and what they wanted to tell them. Live your life like it could be your last. But also, remember that life is so unpredictable and it could be your loved one’s last day. Don’t live your life with regrets that you wish you could be with them even for a short time to let them know how much you care for them-that you forgive them for the past. You could make their day, their life, richer by you just taking a few minutes of your time to give them your gift of yourself. When you leave this earth, can others remember that you spent time in giving your gift of yourself to them?
If you knew you only had 1 hour to live, what would you do? Who would you call or go visit? What would you say to them? Don’t take that person or persons for granted that you will do it tomorrow. Now, is the time to reach out to the aged one who needs the lift that only you can give. Maybe, one who you need to ask for forgiveness. When that person or persons pass away, don’t be laden with guilt because you didn’t spend time or made sacrifices of your time. This will only hold you back from your God given purpose for your future.
One time, when I had taken my husband to the emergency room, I saw a teenager from church there also. I talked to him to see why he and a friend were there. He told me and then said, he was invincible because he was still young. But even the young-babies-teenagers-young adults, will pass away. Death does not depend on how old you are. We do not know when the Lord will take us home. Have you spent time with someone who is lonely, so far this year? If not, make your New Year’s resolution to start this day, this minute to reach out to another. It might be the last minute you have to give them the gift of yourself! It is not only going to give another a lift, but also give you a lift knowing that you have spent your time wisely and in service to the Lord!
Live in such a way that those who do not know God, will know Him because they know you. If and when, you have that gut feeling you need to call or be with someone, don’t be like me and forget and not end up doing it. Give the gift of yourself! You will be glad you did!
Till next time!
Keela