My husband and I handed him the bag with the two gifts inside. We had saved up all year to buy expensive soccer cleats and a ball, and anxiously awaited our young son’s birthday to see his face when he opened them. “My ball!” he said as he hugged the first one and started running out the backdoor. “Wait!” I yelled. “There’s another gift inside the bag!” “But you need them to play better!” my husband said hoping to lure him back. “Later!” he responded, uninterested in what we had sacrificed so much to buy. This experience reminded me how God the Father sacrificed His Most Precious Treasure, Jesus, so…

I grew up surrounded by a large family in a time when life lacked the current technology but overflooded with imagination and simplicity. My childhood was easy and full of everything I needed and wanted. I graduated from high school and went away to college. My younger sister followed a year later and my youngest sister a year after that. My life continued to be carefree and relaxed. I traveled with friends to the beach on Spring Break, attended every concert in the state and shopped at the mall every weekend. Mom and Dad called every Sunday evening. I was quick to tell them every detail about my busy life,…