Zatzkapol

Ephesians 2:8 – For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. (NIV)

Did you ever get a zatzkapol for Christmas? I've had a few and I think I might have handed out some. A zatzkapol is a present you get that you don't want and can't figure out what it is or why someone would get it for you! So I am asking you again: Did you ever get a zatzkapol for Christmas?

Our family is really good at zatzkapoling. One year, a family member decided to cover all her gift-giving needs with a one-thing-fits-all choice. Everyone on her list got wicker. No, not wicker chairs or lounges. No — wicker critters came our way. Lots of wicker fish, dogs, cats, and birds, about a foot high, graced my living room — because everyone left them there when they went home after turkey and stuffing!

God is the best gift-giver of all time. He gives us all grace, but it looks different in each of our lives. Today, my grace gives me self-control. Your grace works on your temper. Jane's grace helps her be patient. Peter's grace lends peace. And that is just for today! Tomorrow, my grace may look like gentleness; yours like longsuffering, and so on. In the end, though, that grace makes us all look the same. We will look like Christ.

Prayer: Lord, help us to recognize Your truly remarkable grace as the miracle it is. Thanks that You meet our needs before we even recognize how desperate we are. And thanks, God, for not giving us a zatzkapol. Amen.

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