The Last Gift: Day 5
“Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter, when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood.” Isaiah 58:7
Turn Away – The last gift on God’s list is perhaps the most difficult to give. In fact, it is quite impossible to give such a gift without the Spirit wrapped in the midst. The last gift is halam. And what does halam really mean? Psalm 90:8 tells us that halam is about our secrets. 1 Samuel 12:3 shows us that halam is about covering things up. Isaiah 1:15 uses halam to describe something that is ignored or disregarded. Halam is what we hide from others, what we keep concealed, what we push away rather than deal with. Now you know why this is the last gift, and the most difficult to give. It is the gift of open agenda, of exposure, of making visible what was concealed. This gift costs more than any of the others because it cuts the deepest.
Imagine it’s Christmas Eve. In the middle of the room is the tree (just think of it as a cross). Under the tree are the presents. They look delightful and exciting. Everyone anticipates what he or she will find inside. But God says this: what good is a wrapped gift if it comes without an unwrapped heart?
What would Christmas be like this year if the gift you gave were the opening of your soul? Who would you have to stand before and unwrap yourself, confessing anything that belonged to resha (remember yesterday? – wickedness), letting this one see you as you really are? Would the gift be delivered with tears or with joy? God says that wherever we hide from our own flesh and blood, wherever we conceal the truth or pretend to ignore the desperation inside, we dishonor Him. We give false gifts. Gifts that flatter the eye and intoxicate the nose but are empty of vulnerability. Gifts without heart.
Break the cycle. Never let another present be a substitute for concealment. Never hide a life behind another glittering package. This Christmas Eve, give God’s gifts first. They may come wrapped in sobs or silence. But they will not cover up the truth. They will not turn away the heart of one who needs compassion, honesty, confession and comfort. Be like the baby whose birth you celebrate. Empty yourself. God did it for you.
