A PIECE OF MY HEART...what does the wrapping have to do with it?

If you are anything like me, you are probably knee deep in wrapping. With just 5 more days until Christmas, we are all feeling the crunch. The dining table is easily turned into a array of paper, ribbons, bows, scissors and tape. With each gift, creating the perfect package is almost as important as finding the perfect gift.

I always said that "presentation" was everything. If you had two gifts wrapped under the tree, one in beautiful gold foil and bright ribbon and the other wrapped in day old newspaper tied with string, which do you suppose would be more attractive and appealing? Most of us would overlook the one in newspaper and go for the shine and beauty.

But the truth is, the wrapping does not reveal what the gift inside contains. After all, Jesus was not born in a palace, with golden archways and marble floors. He was born in a stable. He was clothed in rags and laid in a feeding trough. Jesus was the most amazing gift ever given to us, but the presentation of His arrival, the wrapping of such a wonderful gift did not diminish the importance of His birth.

If anything, the wrapping of that first Christmas gift reminds me of the beauty that lies within simplicity. Jesus Christ came to us in the most simple and humble way. Wrapped in swaddling cloths, layed in a manger, born where the animals rest ... I can't think of anything more simple and humble.

So, as I wrap these last gifts this week I can't help but to think back to that first Christmas gift and realize that the wrapping has nothing to do with what the gift represents. Love, joy, peace and forgiveness is the best gift you will ever unwrap.

LUKE 2:9-12 "And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger."

The beauty is in the gift, not the wrapping!