Food for thought and a Christmas message for you:

Expensive gifts usually have short impact value.

This is the time of year when we reflect on things that have had the most significant impact in our lives. We ponder the reason for the season: the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the gifts he has given us - gifts that don't fade over time.

Think about the kinds of gifts that have the longest impact:

For example, Thanksgiving commemorates the Pilgrim's first successful harvest in the New World, but do you realize that before they enjoyed that feast, 1/2 of the Mayflower's original passengers and crew died along the way?

The pilgrims risked everything to seek the gift of freedom of worship and the hope of prosperity for themselves and their posterity, and eventually the effects of their sacrifice (gift) would be experienced for over 400 years by more than a billion others in the future. It was a sacrifice with an incredibly long-lasting impact.

Thanksgiving reminds us to turn our hearts in thanks to God for all that we have, even when things are rough. I'm grateful for those refugees and think of them with reverence and gratitude, for nourishing the seeds of freedom that were planted with that first crop of the Pilgrim's corn. Despite its faults, the American experiment was still one of the greatest catalysts of freedom for humankind the world has ever known.

Christmas also celebrates freedom.

Christmas marks the birth of Jesus Christ, whose mission satisfied the eternal demands of justice, so that all people could become free from the heavy burdens that are brought upon us by transgression and sin. There is no greater gift, because its impact is eternal, and a gift just can't get any longer-lasting than that.

So again, as you think about what gifts you will give your loved ones this season, think about the gifts that will help them enjoy more peace of mind, freedom, or long-lasting joy, because the longer the impact, the better the gift.

Every-day no-cost gifts that can have a long-lasting impact:

It doesn't have to be complicated. There are countless every-day no-cost gifts that would qualify:

It might be finally having that healing conversation that's long overdue. It might be seeking the help you need to give up an addiction that has brought pain and suffering to your family. It might be giving support to a loved one's dream in a more meaningful way than you've given in the past.

But whatever it is, compare it to things that cost a lot but which often have the shortest impact value. (You can save a lot of money this year by thinking of "Impact Longevity".)

You can also help someone you love have a new dose of hope, joy, or peace of mind, by sharing the Rare Faith principles you've been learning here. Show them how they can find hope, joy, and peace of mind for the rest of their life, no matter what challenges may come, by studying the laws and principles by which God's universe is governed. Share your favorite podcast episode, or show them where they can get a free ebook.

If you do, the impact of your gift could save a marriage, restore someone's faith in God, or strengthen a family, and the impact could literally be felt for generations and beyond. Now there's a gift with impact longevity... and the joy that comes back to you for helping someone change their life really is something that money just can't buy.

Merry Christmas, friend, from my family to yours.

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