Three Gifts One Wish
written by
Jeannette Zink
The good and the bad tend to travel
in 3’s. Just one of the tried and true mystical superstitions that I have heard
throughout time and/or read in a book somewhere. Most recently, I read in
Matthew the biblical interpretation of three wise scholarly men traveling by
the light of an eastern star to the town of Bethlehem to pay their respects to
the newly born child thought to be the King of Jews. The gifts brought by these
scholars were not toys, onesies, or diapers. No, the treasures were gold,
frankincense, and myrrh. Why would these
items be the carefully chosen offerings for the presumed crown King of Jews … a
baby male child just looking for a little love and some warm fresh milk … not perfume,
anointing oil or the valuable glam and sparkle of gold.
If one were to dig into the historical
pages of the biblical scholarly tomes, one would soon learn the relevance of these
specific gifts and pay honor to their equivalent of a Michelin gold star ranking.
The logic of these gems and the merits of their holistic medicinal properties
would give pause for a V-8 moment … of course, we would mutter, as we tap
our forehead. These gifts, meant for kings, were far more than exquisite luxury
items. They would prove in due time their capital worth that the local
pharmacist would bow to the treasure chest of their healing compounds and to their
divine meaning in the life of this precious child.
Wrapped in this cloak of knowledge, I
now turn my thoughts to the three gifts I would give in honor of those I
treasure on the stature found in the land of Kings and Queens. My gifts would
surely be snubbed by the worldly skeptics and the self-chosen elite. Their
worth undervalued in today’s market place; their usefulness cast to the bends
of the Salvation Army; and tagged for
the everyday common re-gifting pile. In other words, the “ugly Christmas sweater” would be the classification given to my
heartfelt gifts. Regardless, I will give these gifts with deep love. I know
with unquestioned confidence that my gifts will be measured in due time for
their invaluable worth. Even though, my gifts will be laughed at, scoffed and
ridiculed and circled in the mystery of the Magi gifts, there will be a moment
when it will make perfect sense to the intended recipients … that magical V-8 moment when the pieces will fit
perfectly into the life of those kindred spirits who open their hearts and souls
to these treasures.
Here a gifting we go …
Gift 1. Technology devices have their place on the
scale of importance ranking up there with Super Bowls, weddings, births,
inaugurals, good hair days and mega sales at Wal-Mart. Their prominence has grown over the years to that of
celebrity status. Who are you really if you do not have a device in hand and/or
on your lap? And, who are you if not constantly looking at said device? You are
no one … just a fading and marred antique waiting to be picked-up for the
consignment store. Who wants to be a worthless antique … not me, I want to fly
with the golden eagles. So, here is my
gift … I will love my devices and I will cherish their technological
wizardly; but when in the presence of the human/animal species, I will give my
full attention and emotional intelligence of engagement to these worthy species. This person/animal, who has honored me by
entering my sacred space, will see my eyes and know the sound of my
non-distracted voice. The human being (me) will be my device for communicating,
not technology. I come wrapped with a soul and spirit that will honor you with
my total attention. In short, I promise to be PRESENT … to SHOW UP!
Gift 2. My God-given life journey is mine,
not your journey. You cannot walk in my shoes nor travel down my trail. God
intended for this adventure to be mine … one that I would learn many lessons,
reap the rewards, cry tears of each challenge, overcome struggles with the
strength of a David and bow with humbleness to God’s mercy. It is through these
travels that I will find the trueness of the me that God intended, and the invaluable purpose of my walk on this
chosen travel itinerary. As is the case with most explorations, the outgrowth
of knowledge gained will render opinions and ideologies formed, beliefs
adopted, tolerances developed for an acceptance or rejection of behaviors and
lifestyles, and a soul that will take flight on the wings of tomorrow’s history
cradled in the memories of yesterday’s story. I will ultimately become the person that God always intended, but I
may not be the person you had hoped
for nor ever intended of me. My gift to
you is the respect to honor your journey and all the treasures you will find on
your lifetime travels. I promise that you will never find me standing in
the department store’s exchange line with the gift I hope you will have gladly
afforded me … your gift to cherish the God-given path that only I can and must
travel. Love will be our anchor; respect our light; and God our roadmap-maker
to the life we are each intended to find and to follow.
Gift 3. There
are times in life when you may find yourself in an emotional and/or intellectual
quagmire. The relationships stumbled into may run hot and cold; love and hate;
can’t live with them can’t live without them. World events may swing from the
drama of war to the placid rejoice of peace on earth. There will be times when
you may sit on top of your all-knowing judgmental pedestal or beg forgiveness for
your bad judgments and wrong-turn decisions. In any event, sooner or later you may
find yourself straddling the proverbial fence of “should I or shouldn’t I.” You
will ask yourself Socratic questions in search of the critical thinking of truth’s
answers … should I take that leap of faith and dive into the unknown world of the
brave or remain on the well-grounded fence of better safe than sorry. Evaluate will be the moniker given for
these times of “stalling” on this fence of indecision and fear while waiting for
perfection … when all answers are known, all facts are revealed, and everything
is just the way you want it to be … perfect.
What a quagmire of dilemmas you may find yourself! My gift to you is to tear down that fence and put on your wading boots.
The morass will be quite messy and you will get your hands dirty, but the water
and soap of the soul will make way for your newfound courage to face each
quagmire with determined faith in yourself. Just believe, my dear kindred
spirit, and see the wonder that will lead you on an unbelievable journey. Live
every moment of every day of your God-given life … don’t waste a second in the safety
heights above the quagmire! Make mud pies and drink sweet lemonade.
One Wish.
Please accept my gifts and make the most of each. They are given with deep love
and respect for you, my Kings and Queens. The value tendered on the scale of
gold, frankincense and myrrh and intended to serve you on your passage of a lifetime
journey that only you can travel.
Blessings and love, my kindred
spirits. Enjoy this most beautiful of time.
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