My family was at a New Year’s Eve party last night where one of the games was a white elephant gift exchange. Megan and Paul were very excited about playing along even though I had reminded them before the party that a white elephant gift is usually silly rather than real.
Megan was visibly disappointed in her gift, a gaudy oversized Santa Claus face ornament.
Paul’s gift was a ceramic candle jar with lid. There was a Christmas design on the jar. His gift was clearly meant as a joke. The candle that came with the jar was long gone except for a remnant of red wax stuck along the bottom. I braced myself for a negative reaction. A used candle jar is not exactly what a 4 year olds dreams are made of. It turns out I had nothing to worry about. Paul fell completely in love with his gift. He leaned over to me and whispered, “Mommy, now I have my own candle.” Paul guarded his gift for the rest of the evening. He proudly showed it off to our friends before putting it in a safe spot. When it was time to leave, he made sure the gift came home with us. (Our other gifts didn’t exactly make it home!)
With his 4 year old eyes, Paul was able look at something that was junk and ascribe beauty to it. Paul’s reaction to his gift was a reminder to me of God’s grace. Despite all my “junk” I am made beautiful through my relationship with Christ.
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