My Favorite Gift

My mom always asks us to make a Christmas list. This year, I really wanted an iphone, and I didn’t care much about anything else on my list. And yesterday morning, my Christmas dreams came true! On the way to church with my family, my mother dubbed me the “most excited about a gift,” which is an unofficial title I’ve never before been awarded! So needless to say, the iphone is a favorite. But even with the months of anticipation leading up to the unwrapping of my iphone, another gift has given it a run for its money.

My grandmother made each of us grandchildren a quilt this year. Each is different, customized to suit each recipient. My quilt is, as expected, fancy and feminine, so I immediately knew my grandmother had hit the nail on the head. But a closer look revealed just how amazingly appropriate for me is the quilt my grandmama so carefully crafted. For each quilt, my grandmother selected Bible verses especially intended for each of us, and on mine is monogrammed Colossians 1:9-12.

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

To Grandmama’s joyful surprise, these are a few of the verses God laid on my heart to commit to memory this semester. Grandmama later told me that she’s been praying these verses for my cousins and me daily for years. Once again, I feel that the favor God has bestowed on my life is a direct result of the faithful prayers and faithful lives of my grandparents.

This very special present reminds me of what I have come to realize is the greatest gift (other than Jesus, of course) that I enjoy year after year. It’s the gift of a loving, godly family (on both my dad's and my mom's sides), who celebrates the birth of Christ together. Through silly Christmas games where we use an acrostic to describe the attributes of God, or through homemade costumes and acting out the nativity, or even singing and acting out “The 12 Days of Christmas”—my family loves God and loves each other. I am beyond blessed to be a Herrod.

How funny is it that I share a name with some of the most evil men in history (granted, someone apparently altered the spelling by adding an “r” at some point), yet my family heritage is so godly! What a picture of redemption! I am honored to bear the name “Herrod”—because in that name, I am reminded of Gen. 50:20. What is intended for evil, God intends for good. Surely he has shown love to our family to the thousandth generation!

Blessed,

Jaye

PS - By the way, I flew a plane today! (More to come...)

My grandparents (Dad's side)

(Don't have a picture from Mom's side)

My quilt