Giving the Perfect Gift
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.
1 Peter 4:10
The first time I read The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, I was completely captivated. If you’re not familiar with that short story, it’s about an impoverished young couple who want to give a meaningful Christmas gift to the other. However, all they have between them is $1.87. Of course, this was written back in the early 1900s, when $1.87 would go a lot further, but still, it was not much. In the end, (spoiler alert!) the young husband and wife choose to sacrifice their most precious possessions in order to afford the “perfect” gift for their beloved.
It’s a sweet little tale, made all the more poignant because of the love so evident in their gift-giving. Each one gave sacrificially to meet the heartfelt needs of the other, and they did it out of love… that’s a recipe for the perfect gift!
It’s why all of us at Joni and Friends are excited about this Giving Tuesday – and this is my chance to invite you to give the Perfect Gift to someone who has a heartfelt need. That Perfect Gift is a wheelchair wrapped in the Gospel of Christ’s love. For many families around the world, they would gladly sacrifice all they have to be able to provide a wheelchair for a loved one.
And yet, a wheelchair is too far out of their reach. But when these families witness the care with which our Wheels for the World volunteers prayerfully select just the right wheelchair for their loved one… when they observe the hard work our volunteers invest in getting just the right foot rests, side supports and lap trays… and when they hear of the love of God which brought about the gift of the wheelchair… then, these needy families are convinced that God knows their need and he loves them. And that is the perfect gift.
Join us this Christmas in providing a wheelchair wrapped in the Gospel! I’ve posted a few videos featuring four different families and how the perfect gift of a wheelchair brought them fresh hope and a new understanding of God’s love. Share these special posts and invite your friends to donate this Giving Tuesday… even if it is just $1.87!
–Joni Eareckson Tada
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