Every year I buy my dog a Christmas present. 

You might think I’m foolish.

You are more than welcome to your opinion and you may in fact be right.

I mean, I recently quit my full time job. I’m only working a part time seasonal job right now. I’ve got a house to pay for, Christmas presents to buy for family and friends, and all my other bills to worry about.

It’s probably not wise for me to ration out any of my money for a Christmas present for a dog.

After all, he has no idea there’s a new toy and a bag of treats wrapped up with his name on it waiting underneath the Christmas tree.

So why bother?

Because none of that matters. I’m still his caretaker. I still love him.

As his caretaker, I want to see my dog happy. I give him gifts everyday really that he doesn’t even realize. I think he’s somewhat appreciative of the care I offer him, even if he doesn’t fully grasp how much I am giving him.

I think God looks at us in the same way.

I’m not sure if we fully understand what God has given us at Christmas either. 

Really – the son of God, given as a gift to all humankind, a source of unmatched wisdom, an ultimate and perfect sacrifice for thousands of years of wayward living. This is what is underneath the tree for us at Christmas.

It’s impossible to completely comprehend what an incredible gift Jesus was. I don’t know if we will ever understand in this lifetime just how much God gives us every day. 

Is it really wise for God to waste His efforts on humanity? On sinful people who will never understand His gifts, who will open them and devour them and forget about them just like a dog?

You know, when you think about it like that, the answers is “Probably not”.

But He gives us gifts anyway. Because He loves us. Because He is our caretaker.

I try not to judge anyone who’s not a dog lover like me. And I hope if you’re not a dog person you won’t look down on me for spending a few dollars to give my dog a gift he will never understand.

After all, we are all recipients of undeserved gifts every day. Let’s not forget to celebrate the grace of the gifts we don’t understand this Christmas. Let’s be thankful we have a caretaker who continues to bless us when we don’t even realize the gifts we’re getting.