I was at work today, trying to stay focused on the write-ups I needed to finish for the pre-training assessments before the Christmas break, thinking of lessons, school, and it was a bit stressful...it seems everyone at the office is in the "just hang in we're almost there" stage of work. We know there is a break coming, and there will be rest then. But right now, it's "I need to get this done!" It's really easy to get caught up in the monotony of everyday tasks that call for our attention, sometimes yell at us, especially near the end of the year.
In the middle of my dash to get things finished this morning, I was interupted by a co-worker who stopped at my desk and asked, "Do you know a Tom*? He's out in the foyer waiting for you." I hadn't spoken to Tom in months. I hadn't even seen him around. He had been over to our house some for a cuppa and a chat when I worked at the motel, and when I first started at Mission Australia. He always called me, "Churchy" and has a grip of steel. When we moved to our new house, Tom and I kind of lost touch. I hadn't thought about him for months.
So, I went out to the foyer, not sure what to expect. When he saw me he said, "Hey churchy! How's the family? How's the kids? Just wanted to say Merry Christmas, mate." With that he handed me a ripe yellow/gold mango, and shook my hand with his steel grip. "Now don't say I never gave you nothin'!" I told him Merry Christmas and thanks, and he joked, "Where's my Chrisy present, mate?" and with that, he was off again.
I held the mango in my hand, brought it to my nose and smelled it. Sweet and ripe. I took the mango back to my desk, blessed by the gift from a friend. Imagine I had told Tom I didn't want his mango. Or what if I just didn't acknowledge that I even knew him, didn't even leave my desk to go out to the foyer? Where would that put our friendship?
But Tom's gift reminded me of another gift given over 2000 years ago. The mango
from Tom was a gift that continued and reaffirmed a friendship, but the
gift God gave us of His Son, Jesus Christ opened the way for a
relationship with God Himself. Imagine we ignore His gift to us, don't even bother with it. Or imagine we go "out to the foyer" to chat with Him, and politely refuse His gift. Where does that leave us in our relationship with God?
This Christmas season, in the midst of all the busyness and noise, I challenge you to "step out to the foyer", and think about how you will respond to God's gift of Jesus Christ.
"Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us."
Matthew 1:23 (NASB)
