The bow on the Package!

I love fine things. I’m not sure what events fostered this in my life as my taste has always far out-weighed my wallet. I love rich colors. I love fine fabrics. I love rare flowers. I would walk over hot coals for diamonds and sapphires. At the perfume counter, you can bet I’m going for the most luxurious smell with the highest price tag. I don’t set out to want the most expensive…it just happens. I’ve figured out the reason I love finer things is mostly because they have a quality that sets them apart from the rest. My favorite line is they have a quality that is the bow on the package.

That’s another thing I love, by the way – gift wrap! I’m a sucker for it. Cute gift bags with brightly colored…or better yet, patterned tissue. Uniquely shaped giftboxes with just the right design just makes my heart happy! But my favorite thing by far has always been the bow! Each Christmas this is evident. I drive my husband and children nuts trying to determine what our gift wrap theme will be so that I can find the perfect ribbon. These can be tense moments because my hubby leans toward non-traditional colors (think blues and even black) while I like to stick with more traditional (reds, green, lime green, etc). We both agreed a long time ago that when the Kavanaughs give a gift to someone the wrapping was going to be a force to contend with! Our first Christmas as a married couple was my favorite! We had no money for the kind of wrapping that we wanted…ribbon was a luxury. We disliked (and still do) the premade, shiny, sticky bows. So, I spent hours cutting the wrapping paper into ¼” strips of paper and curling them into ribbon which I sewed together with a needle and thread. It was the prettiest bow I had ever seen! Thank goodness, our budget has allowed for real ribbon for the past several years…and each gift gets one ( a handmade bow). Why go to so much trouble? Because the person receiving the gift is worth it!

I was in a meeting a few weeks ago with a very good friend and a new client. The friend called the meeting together to discuss design options for the new client’s Christian newsletter. My friend said, “The secular world is driven by excellent packaging/ marketing of their products. They work to have the best designs, colors, prints, etc. As Christians shouldn’t we want the best packaging for our ‘product’?”

So, I’ve made that question personal over the last few weeks. What does my “packaging” of Christ look like to the world? Do I give it my personal best or do I make do with shiny, sticky bows? Can the world tell from looking at my “work” that there is a Creator bigger than me? Can they look at my actions and my speech and know that I am walking in such a way as to give glory to God? Can they look at my home and tell that the Lord of my life is a God of order and worthy of my best? Can my husband and children look at my packaging and know all of these things? (ouch!)

Why go to so much trouble? Because the gift that I display to the world is the most valuable, most expensive gift they could ever possess. He is worth the finest packaging. Don’t you agree?