Last week in our Deacon’s Quorum discussion, Sam was conducting and he asked about the secret gift exchange that the boys are doing amongst themselves. Because we were talking about gifts, I posed a question to the group, “Boys, is it better to give, or is it better to receive?”
Ethan answered that it is, of course, always fun to receive gifts, but it is probably better to give than to receive.
I then posed another question, “When we breathe, is it better to inhale, or is it better to exhale. Which one is more important?”
Eli said that inhaling is probably more important, but if you only inhale and then never exhale, you would probably die.
Cole confirmed that yes, you would obviously die.
Brennan concluded that both inhaling and exhaling are really important.
I then asked the same previous question, “Is it better to give, or is it better to receive?”
Jacob caught on and said that both are equally important.
However, after thinking about our discussion all week, I’ve concluded that it is actually better to receive than to give. Allow me to explain: “The giving-of-gifts is not something humans invented. God started the giving spree when He gave us a Gift beyond words: the incredible gift of His Son” (from Robert Flatt).
Because everything we have comes from God, including the very air that we breathe, we can strive to show Him thanks for all the gifts that He has given us. We can show this appreciation to Him by the way that we treat each other.
We can never truly enjoy Christmas until we can pray to our Heavenly Father and tell Him that we have received the Gift, His Son Jesus Christ, the greatest of all the gifts.
Now, when we receive this Gift, it is called redemption. Bearing our testimonies is one way we thank Him for this glorious Gift. Much like when we breathe, we must first inhale before we have something to exhale. To be able to share a testimony, we must first receive a testimony.
Although we celebrate Christmas just once a year, I am grateful to have our Deacons bring us a token of this wonderful Gift, as they humbly pass the sacrament each week. The little trays they carry to us are full of little Gifts, that help us remember the greatest of all the Gifts: the Atonement of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. May we gladly receive His gift to us!
