Matt's Murmurs - 'tis the season

Merry Christmas! A time to remember the incredible gift of salvation by Jesus Christ, who gave His life for each and every one of us. Associated with Christmas, people often are swept away with grandiose thoughts of giving to charities or those in need, surprising a loved one with a new Corvette, giving elderly folks a hand in walking across the street or sweeping up the leaves from your neighbors yard.

One of my favorite Christmas songs is by Johnny Cash and is a story where Johnny tells of a Christmas in his youth when his family was extremely poor: his daddy shot a squirrel for dinner, his sister's new dress was made from a flour sack and he whittled a whistle for a gift for his brother. Even under those circumstances, they still managed to give some 'cool oil' (I don't know what that is) and some hickory nuts they picked to an elderly neighbor who was even worse off.

These are wonderful expressions of love for us to give. However, if you can't seem to manage any of these kind of things, I have one idea for you that anyone can give. It's the gift of letting a driver merge ahead of you into the lane that you are in. It's got all of the qualities you look for in a gift: it makes you feel good, it makes the receiver feel good, it requires sacrifice on your part and it's a gift that keeps on giving and may inspire others to give the same gift to someone else.

This year, I'm planning to give this gift a lot. Selfishly, I hope that I'm given this gift too. Why just last night, as I was completing my 1.5 hour, 20-mile commute home from our bridge project (see previous Matt's Murmus) on Friday during rush hour, I gazed with eager anticipation because the opportunity to be given this gift over and over arose but in ever growing disappointment, it just wasn't being given. Finally, I did receive it and felt some joy. So, this year, give the gift of a little lane space ahead of you. Merry Christmas!