Proverbs 27:27
“And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens. ”
My college-aged daughter loves goats. Her affection for them has heightened through the years. She bleats with them, she imitates them. She’s named each one that grazes in a field near our home. So she was ecstatic when she opened her present Christmas morning and discovered we’d got her goat. Her small box contained a round, glass, billy-goat Christmas ornament and a card explaining that somewhere in a third world country, an impoverished family would now have “goats’ milk enough for [their] food, for the food of [their] household, and for the maintenance for [their] maidens.” We gave our sons similar World Vision gifts, specifically related to each one’s personal interests.
For several years we’ve been downsizing Christmas at our house. (WNAC’s Central Asia Christmas Joy fueled our fervor.) This year, more than any in the past. we were weary of the stuff. So we settled on one family gift, a charitable gift for each of our children (with a related token gift for them) and another small present for each. It was wonderful. And surprise, surprise…one of our children had the same idea. His Christmas gift to all of us was an envelope filled with cash and a challenge for the family to creatively decide and unaminously agree where the money should be given.
Christmas should be all about giving. God gave His Son. Christ the King exited the ivory palaces and entered the stable, born alongside sheep and cattle and maybe even a goat. God gave His abundant life to a world in need. Should we not follow His example? Christian relief organizations provide ample opportunities (world vision.org; smallestseed.org; biblemission.org —to name a few).
This year of the goat confirmed our plans for future seasons. By the Chinese calendar, 2008 is the year of the rat. No, we probably won’t be wrapping up that one under the tree, but we’ve already begun exploring possiblities.
Sarah Fletcher
Tennessee
PRAY TOGETHER: Remember Richard Adams, longtime Home Missions representative, as he grieves the loss of his wife Carolyn, promoted to glory November 10.
