Wrap Me Up

This post begins with a confession ... I do not like to wrap gifts. Not even a little bit. In fact, I come dangerously close to detesting the whole wrapping process. I have a difficult time judging how much paper to cut to cover a gift, and even more difficulty then cutting said paper in a straight line. I can never seem to make the folds at the end come out equally which totally messes with my mind (see my post called "Don't Mess With My Cool Whip" for reference). The feel of tape on my fingers has often made me nauseous, and the whole bow thing just pushes me over the edge. Needless to say, I'm a huge fan of gift bags.

If I had my way, I would never wrap another gift. But, my children fully expect their Christmas gifts to be wrapped and under the tree (which I haven't put up yet) when they come home for the holidays. I tried using gift bags a couple of years and got a tremendous amount of grief from my young adult kiddos about tradition and how opening a bag just wasn't the same as ripping the paper from a package. So each year, I procrastinate and wait until the day before they are scheduled to come home to wrap their gifts. And I dread doing so up until the minute I drag out the paper and tape and begin the arduous task of wrapping.

Last night as I sat on my couch wrapped in an electric throw trying desperately to get warm, I began to think about my aversion to gift wrapping and my overwhelming lack of Christmas spirit this year. As so often happens, God had a lesson ready and waiting for me when I finally listened to His voice. As I piled a fleece blanket on top of the heated throw, I couldn't help but think about last Christmas ... lots and lots of snow ... and my little J.R. the wiener dog ... and how different this Christmas feels than last year. Tears filled my eyes as I thought of how J.R. would shake when he got cold, or when the thunder would roll, or if his back was hurting. Countless times during the time he was with me, I would wrap him in a blanket and hold him close, speaking gentle words of comfort to him until he stopped shaking.

Sitting on the couch with tears streaming down my face, God's reminder, God's lesson, God's voice spoke to me in much the same way as I would speak to J.R. ... "I've got you, Terrie, I've got you. Wrapped in my arms, safe and sound, I've got you. Don't be afraid ... I've got you. Don't be cold ... I've got you. Don't hurt ... I've got you."

How precious is God's love for each of us ... that He desires to wrap me and you in His arms of love and mercy and grace. How amazing is the gift He sent to us in His Son Jesus, wrapped in swaddling clothes with a manger for His bed.

Wrap me up, Lord ... wrap me up.