Bob Meade: Christmas ... the time for giving

There are a number of ways to think about Christmas. To Christians, it is a celebration of the birth of the Christ child. To many, including non-Christians, especially children, it is the time for Santa Claus to leave gifts for them under the Christmas tree. For these groups, it is a season of hopes. And for others, it is a time go about their normal daily routines and simply await the arrival of the New Year.

This year, let’s take a moment to think about the gifts that Almighty God has given us that we don’t normally think of.

Obviously, the gift of the Christ Child is most important, but what else has God gifted us with? Well, scientists tell us that God began creating the universe 13.7 billion years ago; that’s a very long, long time. It started with what we now call the “Big Bang” theory when a huge explosion of gaseous matter was hurled outward, and, as it moved, it actually created space, and subsequently time. That matter is what created the Sun and the Earth and everything on it and in it, including you and me. And, believe it or not, that big bang not only created the millions and millions of stars and other planets for billions of miles around, it was and is so powerful that it is still continuing to move outward and is creating even more stars and more planets... continuing to create more places for people to live and to come to know God. That amounts to billions and billions of possible places for people and other creatures to inhabit... an incredible number of gifts from God.

Here on Earth, we have so many other gifts from God that are so important for us. He gave us the sun to give us light so we could not only get heat from the sun, but have a period of light every day. Then there is the gift of water that we get out of the ground that is drinkable, and the water in the oceans that is not only the home for the fish and other creatures in the sea, it serves as the water road for boats to carry people and essential goods and materials from one country to another, all over the world. And, of course, water is essential for the growth of all vegetable and plants and to feed people and all living creatures. A truly wonderful gift.

And did you ever think of plain old dirt as a gift? Well, it’s not just a gift, it’s an extraordinary gift, as it is essential for us to grow everything from grass to fruits and vegetables, and trees and shrubs. And let us not forget that the earth also serves as the homes for worms and other creatures that burrow into the ground and make themselves a little cave in which they store their food for the winter and also provides them with a warm place to stay when it gets very cold. We must remember, too, that dirt is used to make what are called “mud huts” that are houses for many people and, a form of dirt, clay, is used to make adobe homes. Dirt has many uses and we couldn’t live without it; a great gift from God.

Of course, among God’s greatest gifts are the gifts of life itself. We don’t often think of how life was created with the ability to sustain life. For example, our creator made fish to spawn which created hundreds and hundreds of little fish that would become the food source for the bigger fish. And those little fish that didn’t get eaten by the bigger fish, well, they became bigger fish that then eat the little fish. And what do those huge whales eat? Well, some of them feed on the tiny krill and shrimp.

Another of God’s greatest gifts is grass. It is the food source for so many animals ... cows and sheep and goats and horses ... and many of those animals grow up and become the food source for you and me. Have you had a hamburger recently? If it weren’t for grass to eat, there would be no beef with which to make those hamburgers.

There are many, many more tangible gifts that Almighty God has given us. And there are also some wonderful gifts that enrich our life that don’t come in a Christmas wrapping. Among them are the five senses: to see, to touch, to hear, to taste, and to smell. While they are wonderful gifts that most of us can enjoy every day, there are also the gifts of love and hope. To love and be loved is as precious as precious can be. And the gift of hope is a gift that sustains us not only through difficult times, but even through our daily life... we hope that our favorite team will win; we hope that the teacher will like our essay; we hope that we can catch the pass that the quarterback throws; we hope Mom will buy that doll I like. All these hopes are gifts from God because the greatest hope of all is for us to be welcomed into God’s kingdom, Heaven, where we may live for eternity in the lights of God’s love.

Merry Christmas.

Bob Meade is a Laconia resident. Contact him at bobmeade13@gmail.com.