What Gift Are You Bringing?

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem^(E) in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.  He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

- Matthew 2:1-12

Christmas gifting can be next to impossible sometimes. Have you noticed? 

I'm the kind of person who starts Christmas shopping in July, and yet still, I found myself on Amazon Prime today, trying to figure out what last-minute Christmas presents I can ship in time for Christmas. 

Sorry, husband-- the camo Snuggie was all they had left, I swear. 

No, no, not to worry. Matt's not really getting that. He made a handy wish list to take the guesswork out. My dad is another story...

Have you ever paid attention to some of the gift displays set up in stores like Target and TJ Maxx? Superman cape socks, LED finger lights, and a mustache corkscrew? Who is buying this stuff? (Yes, all that stuff is actually being sold at Target.) Want to now what's really bad? I actually bought my husband one of those forehead flashlights last year! 

In all the stress of finding the perfect gift, we often lose sight of the deeper reason we're shopping in the first place. And why is it that we give gifts, really? When it comes down to it, we want to offer a gesture that says, "You matter to me."

So, back to the story of the wise men. Why were they journeying with their gifts? Because they saw a rising star for the king of the Jews, and they "came to worship him."Their gifts, you see, were a form of worship.

Let me ask, then, a question. What gifts are we bringing the baby born that day in a manger? And are our gifts a form of worship, as the wise men's were? Do they show He matters to us?

So often, we often think of writing in terms of accomplishment. In one month, we want to finish the story, land an agent, sign with a publisher. We think if we could finally meet our favorite author or finally sign that contract or finally gain a readership, maybe then we would have something of merit to offer back to God. But I want to challenge you to turn that way of thinking around. What if the product isn't the form of worship, but rather, the writing itself?

Several months ago, one of my writing mentors challenged me to think of writing as a process whereby God wants to spend time with us. Yes, He wants to use authors' words to encourage others. And yes, we probably all write with the hope of publication. But what is governing that process and desire? The hope of seeing your name in print, or the hope of precious moments with Him?

Notice that the wise men don't give Jesus just anything. They give Him their treasures. And what does Matthew 6:21 say about your treasure? The New Living Translation says it this way: "Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." So if you are a teacher, teach from the depths of your heart. If you are a mother, mother from your heart. If you are a wife, love your husband from your heart. And if you are a writer, write from the depths of your heart. To do so is to worship.

I want to encourage you to perhaps take on a radical new perspective about writing. What if your gift is your gift? In other words, what if your heart's story and the time you spend writing it is in and of itself the thing you ought to offer God? What if He wants you and your writing not because of your accomplishment, but because He loves you right where you are?

Whose star are you following?

This Christmas season, I want to say a big thank you to all the readers and friends of the Alley and tell you how much you mean to me (and all of us here at the Alley!). Be encouraged as you celebrate Christ's birth, and keep your focus on the star that is rising-- He will show you were to go as you bring your gifts to Him.

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Ashley Clark writes romantic comedy with southern grace. She's dreamed of being a writer ever since the thumbprint-cookie-days of library story hour. Ashley has an M.A. in English and enjoys teaching literature courses at her local university. She's an active member of ACFW and runs their newcomer's loop. When she's not writing, Ashley's usually busy rescuing stray animals and finding charming new towns. You can find Ashley on her personal blog, Facebook,Pinterest, and Twitter. She is represented by Karen Solem.