Life as a Christian Woman

I remember one Christmas, way too many years ago, when all I wanted was a baton. I was about 8, and wanted to be a majorette in the worst way. My Dad told me there was no way I was going to get a baton, that I would end up breaking everything in the house. I was so disappointed, but when Dad said no, he meant no.

Christmas morning we were opening gifts. I was opening dolls from grandparents, clothes from aunts and uncles (boo!) and lots of toys from Santa. There was one gift that I kept pushing to the rear. It was in a brown tube marked “Map of the United States” and was from my Dad. My Dad was big into maps and learning states/countries. Finally, when all the gifts were opened, I sat back, thrilled with my haul.

“Don’t forget to open that one,” my Dad said.

“I already know what it is,” I said. “It’s a map of the U.S. I don’t need to open it up.”

He egged me on. “C’mon, we need to make sure all the states are there.”

“Ok,” I agreed reluctantly. Man, opening a wall map of the U.S. Nothing says Christmas like that, huh?

Only, as I’m sure you have already guessed, it wasn’t a map… it was a baton. A shiny, silver baton, just like the college majorettes used. I still have it (and for the record, I have never broken anything!).

It had been wrapped in such a way as to be unappealing, compared to all the gleaming gifts under the tree. But it was the one I wanted the most, I just had to open it up to find that out.

For many, that’s the way the Bible is. The wrapping isn’t fancy. There are lots of words, and not all of them are exactly compelling (you know who you are, Leviticus and Numbers!). But the gems are hidden in there, the gift that God gave us for how to live our lives. The great prophets, foretelling the birth of Christ, and the New Testament, with the Greatest Story Ever Told, along with the words of St. Paul.

We are at the cusp of the New Year. Many of us lead incredibly busy lives. But we need to open God’s gift to us and spend time with Him in His book. It isn’t always an easy read, some of it isn’t pretty, and it can be hard to dig through in sections.

But I guarantee it will fit perfectly and you won’t have to return it!