If I had to identify a love language for my family, it would be gifts.  We love presents.  Years ago we even created an official gift giving day for those times when you want to give random gift.

Combine the love language of gifts with the reality that it’s rare for us to all be together during the year and you can hardly see the tree on Christmas morning.  Really.  Even when the 6 foot tree sits on an 18″ box the bottom half of the tree is hidden and you can’t get within three feet of it.  We’re that family.

When my oldest nephew, P, was almost two and a half, we really went overboard.  He was the only nephew/grandchild at that point, and it was the first Christmas that he was really going to appreciate.  We had so much fun shopping for him and imagining how excited he would be when he opened up his gifts.

We were pretty much right.  He loved getting all those gifts.  He had either me or his mom carefully and methodically open each gift.  Then the unexpected happened–he wanted to play with each thing he opened.  Right then and there.  The concept of opening all his presents and then playing with them was completely foreign.  I imagine he thought we had no clue about life.  There were all these amazing things right here, right now.  It didn’t matter what was in the next package.

Our priorities were different.  He wanted what was there right then–quite a few amazing toys, many with little pieces that would get lost in the chaos of 1 child and 5 gift-loving adults.  He was a little distracted by a portion of  the goodness that abounds at an O’Bryan Christmas.

I’m that way.  I get distracted . . . but not on Christmas morning.  I get distracted the rest of the year.  I frequently lose sight of the richness of the most important relationship I’ll ever have–my relationship with Jesus.

He is so good to me.  If you’ve read through any of my posts, you know that time and time again God has taken care of me.  As if salvation and an eternity with him weren’t enough, he keeps giving to me.  He provides over,   over and over again.

The problem is I’m like P; I get distracted.  I rest in what I have when there’s so much more available.  I get bits and pieces of who Jesus is and how he loves me, but I don’t  know all of him.  Sometimes I don’t even try. I’m too content with what I have and how much I know when there’s so much more.

Do you get distracted?  How do you continue to unwrap God’s gift of Jesus?

Check in next Thursday for Part 2.

photo courtesy of Nikki McLeod on Flickr Creative Commons

I’m joining the Faith Barista today as many bloggers serve up their special brews on the subject of “Unwrapping Jesus.” Head on over here and check it out.