“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

Mark 10:51 (NLT)

Picture the scene…Santa, jolly and round, sitting in a big overstuffed chair in a department store filled with shoppers and children. The line snakes around the tree with little ones, eyes big, anticipation building until it’s their turn. Santa gently lifts the child into his lap and asks, ever go kindly, “What do you want for Christmas?” Depending on the child, he may get silence, by one overwhelmed with embarrassment, or even tears. Or he may get a chatterbox that quickly lists a number of things he or she would like to find under the tree.

I pose the same question to you today, not from Santa but from Jesus. We may have the childlike response of embarrassment or confidence, yet, the purpose of the question is to give us what we want. We may think it’s fame and fortune rather than a doll or truck at this stage of life. But the blind man, that Jesus was talking to, wanted to see. He wanted this obstacle to be taken away by Jesus who he knew could do it, if he would. His faith would make all the difference and he would leave that encounter with his sight restored.

Your request may seem as impossible as the blind man’s…but not for Jesus. He loves His children and wants to give them good gifts. This year may have been a tough one — loss of loved one, loss of job, loss of health, or loss of home. The losses begin to weigh on your spirit and all you really want is a little bit of joy, security, and purpose. Is that too much to ask? But like the little children, our expectations of what the gift will be may look different from what God has in mind for our good and His purpose.

The best part of watching Santa happens when he hands the child a present from his big sack and the child leans over and  whispers an awe-filled, “Thank you.”

Gratitude makes all the difference. Our heart is softened and ready for the love and answers that Jesus wants to give us. Look for His gift to you.

What do you want?