Life Coaching: Fuzzy Socks and a Lump of Coal

I wrote this three years ago, the day after Christmas. I find it very appropriate today. I am sharing it in hopes that it will help you today!

My pastor said yesterday that Jesus unwrapped the gift of his life daily between the day of His birth and the date of his resurrection...okay, so it's 24 hours later, and if that's not what he said, then that's what I remember and what I'm pondering this morning...I have actually slept since then so it could have been a message with the word "gift" in it, and this is what I took away from it the day after Christmas...At any rate, I started thinking, which may or may not be a good thing. LOL My life is a gift that I give back to the Lord daily. How do I wrap it? And am I grateful for it? Far too many times, I have not appreciated what God gives me, and I often complain about it. Being awake at all hours of the morning has a way of rendering me honest at some gut level. I fear that I don't properly respect the God-given gift that Life is. And not only that, maybe when I present the gift back to God, I do it grudgingly. If I make a conscious effort to concentrate on the precious gift of Christ and the fact that I am alive, I do much better. It's those days when I get stressed out, distracted, angry, and/or all of the above, when I am really kinda mean about it. I complain, I mumble under my breath (and sometimes NOT under my breath), and I whine to the Lord about the life He has given me, and I have the unmitigated audacity to be ungrateful. I am not writing to elicit sympathy or for people to tell me what a good person I am. I actually dislike that, most times. No, I'm writing this because perhaps not everyone's Christmas was a day of total bliss. Perhaps it was a day that some were missing a loved one. Perhaps it is a day where some were dealing with depression. And perhaps it was a day that some were dealing with an aging parent and the outcome of that day was not a pleasant one. After all this rambling around this morning (see what sleepless nights will get ya?), I have come to this conclusion: My life is what I make it. The present I unwrap can be a lovely pair of fuzzy, comfortable Christmas socks...or it can be a lump of coal, longing to be a diamond, but never quite making it. I prefer the socks. I would much rather present Jesus with a pair of fuzzy socks than a lump of coal. What I give back to God is really up to me. Actually, it's not that difficult to give a gift. All it requires is some thought and effort. And the right kind of heart. If you've read this to the end, thank you for hanging with me. I have a feeling it's a fuzzy socks kind of day...and I'm grateful for it. God bless!