Wish Lists for Jesus

If you, imperfect as you are, know how to lovingly take care of your children and give them what’s best, how much more ready is your heavenly Father to give wonderful gifts to those who ask him? (Matthew 7:11)

Every holiday and birthday that comes up, a lot of thought and energy goes into thinking about what to get for my husband.  My husband does not make it easy for me.  I drop hints all year long.  Point out things in stores and catalogs that I like.  I have an Amazon wish list and have even been known to send a picture or two.  Last year, after several attempts to get a wish list out of my husband, he finally created one.  It had exactly one item on it.  And that item was a mop.

More often than not, my husband only asks for what’s practical or useful.  He will go to great lengths to find special items for me that he knows I will love, but when it comes to asking for himself, he tends to stick with only what he knows he needs.  He’s the sort of guy that is always putting others first and it’s reflected in the gift list.  Of course, that makes my job a lot harder, because as a newlywed wife, I can’t imagine putting a mop under the tree!  I’ve had to have some loving conversations with my husband about how I need to know what he wants (realllllly wants!) and not just what he needs or what may be useful to us as a family.

As funny as an example as this is, I think many of us approach God with these kind of wish lists too.  We know that God is not Santa Claus and his role in our lives is not to fulfill our every whim and desire.  Our relationship with God is about our connection with Him, getting in His presence and knowing Him for who He really is.  It’s about being known ourselves.  However, as much as this might make some of us uncomfortable, gifts are, in fact, a part of the equation.  God is a good Father and He loves giving us good gifts.  He loves to give us not just what He knows we need, but also many of our wants too!  Like any good dad, He loves to give us the gifts that He knows will bring joy to our hearts and make us smile.  He wants to give us the things that will not only be useful and pragmatic (like the mop, for instance), but also things that will bring enjoyment and fun!

Sometimes we feel uncomfortable receiving blessings from people and Jesus, because we struggle to feel like we deserve it.  Or maybe we feel uneasy about receiving blessings we can’t reciprocate or return.  However, the more we realize our identity as sons and daughters of an extravagant God, the more we realize that extravagant love and blessings are a part of the package.

Have you ever prepared a special gift for a child, loved one or friend?  How much joy did it bring you to present your loved one with something you knew they would treasure?  How much more so do you think it brings God delight to bless his children?  The best gift we can give to God in any season is the gift of our whole hearts.  This includes being completely open to the Lord not only with our needs, but also our desires.  It means allowing God to be a Father to us and not shutting down the deep longing of our hearts.  Would it surprise you to know that many of our deepest longings were given to us by God and it is His desire to fill them?

This Christmas season prepare and open your heart to receive every blessing God has for you to the fullest measure.  And give Him the only thing that He has ever been after, your full heart.

Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this.  He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination!  He will outdo them all for his miraculous power constantly energizes you. (Ephesians 3:20)