By:
Topher Wiles
She’s
received a litany of gifts from me including a vacuum cleaner, racquetballs,
and tickets to a Trans-Siberian Orchestra Concert over our 18 Christmases. Yet,
the best gift she can remember has left me at times feeling like a Heel and at
other times feeling like a Hercules. Even better than the way the gift
makes me feel is the Humble Hero it reminds me of. If all that feels cryptic,
it’s ok, all will soon be revealed to those of stout heart willing to persevere
through the following anecdotal explanations. The best writings reveal
their truth over time, like the unwrapping of a present.
HEEL. When you feel like a heel you believe you
have treated someone unfairly or given them less attention than they deserve in
life. I definitely felt like a big heavy
ugly heel the week after Christmas in 2004.
It’s hard not to play the comparison game isn’t it? In our first Christmas as a married couple we
set some stiff limits on our noel spending.
We knew those student loans weren’t going to pay themselves off, so our
money discipline led us to declare a $10 spending limit on our gifts. Now,
you and I know that it is completely unfair for a couple 20 year-olds to
compare themselves to a married couple with kids in their late 30’s, but that’s
exactly the temptation I fell prey to when a sweet lady at church made friendly
conversation with my wife.
The inquisitive well-meaning woman asked, “What did Topher buy you for Christmas?”
The inquisitive well-meaning woman asked, “What did Topher buy you for Christmas?”
“Welding
gloves,” was my wife’s reply followed by, “What did your husband buy you?”
“This
jewelry,” she replied. Do I need to
explain anymore why I felt like a heel?
HERCULES. I’m sure the mythological character,
Hercules, felt pretty proud of himself when he slayed the invulnerable lion or toppled
the multi-headed hydra. I imagine him beating his chest, fist bumping
friends, and making loud guttural sounds in celebration of his monumental achievements. I may have done some of the same when I saw
my wife’s response to a Facebook survey last week. The question was, “What was the best
Christmas gift you’ve ever been given.”
Her reply was, “Welding gloves.” Hercules never flexed as big as I did in that
moment.
My
wife was a domestic marvel even early on in our marriage. She poured time and effort into baking the
most delicious delights and this newlywed husband was mesmerized by her culinary
artistry and beauty like Greeks were enamored with Aphrodite. Yet, my bride wasn’t perfect and frequently
received battle scars in duels with her oven baking racks. Ashley’s arms were receiving the raw end of
the deal as she routinely seared the flesh just beyond the wrists because those
beautiful oven mitts just didn’t provide the coverage that my beloved needed. When I found red welding gloves (yes, the kind
that industrial commercial welders used) on Black Friday sale for $8, I was
excited. Their red hues even matched our
kitchen décor! The best part wasn’t the
price or the color, but the length of coverage that travelled well up onto her
forearms. The forearm branding ceased
during the next decade that she used her Christmas gift of culinary armor.
It’s
hard for beaus to buy gifts for their belles.
Some ladies prefer the practical while some appreciate the pretty. One lady may treasure the thought while
another puts priority on a price-tag. God
gave us women who differ in love-languages and present preferences, and that’s just
part of the adventure as we strive to buy them the best gift to honor their
uniqueness. Sometimes your gift makes
you feel as a hero and sometimes a zero.
This time, my gift was special to my wife because it fit what she
needed, matched her décor, appeased the budget, and was a complete surprise.
HUMBLE
HERO. Some of the best gifts in life are
the ones you least expected. That’s
exactly why Jesus is the best gift the world has ever seen. As you slowly unwrap the truth of Jesus through
a life of worship, prayer, and study, you start to see just how wonderful of a
gift He is. The world expects a savior
like the physically strong and striking Hercules to deliver us but we were
surprised instead to receive a man who lacked physical beauty to save us from
our sins (Isaiah 53:2). Jesus’s
sacrifice is a gift that costs exactly the price that was required of sin,
nothing more and certainly nothing less (Romans 6:23). Giving of His Son as the Christ was the surprising
gift God knew we needed most (Philippians 4:19) which causes us to rejoice
(Philippians 4:4). Jesus is the Humble
Hero that became the greatest gift the world has ever known which causes us to declare
the same as Paul.
“Thanks be
to God for his indescribable gift!” – 2 Corinthians 9:15
Of all
the great gifts you been given, from pretty to practical, fancy to festive, and
delicious to delightful, make sure this season to thank God for giving us the
Humble Hero of Jesus Christ.