Wrapped in Foil, Filled with Love - A Christmas Devotional By LeBron Keener

Wrapped in Foil, Filled with Love - A Christmas Devotional By LeBron Keener 

"…for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."

(1 Samuel 16:7 KJV)

Miss Alma Mae was the kind of woman who smelled like rosewater and cinnamon. She’d been a widow for going on twenty years, living alone in a tiny clapboard house at the edge of town, surrounded by rose bushes and bird feeders. Every December, the church hosted its annual Christmas social, and every December, Miss Alma baked her famous brown sugar molasses cookies - soft, spiced just right, with a little crinkle of sugar on top.

But this year, money was tighter than usual. Her water heater had gone out, her pension hadn’t stretched far, and the fancy red-and-green cookie tins that lined the shelves at the general store were just too much. So instead, she took the lid of an old cardboard paper box, lined it with foil she had ironed flat, and gently nestled her cookies inside. She tied a bit of green yarn around it and smiled at her handiwork. “It ain’t pretty,” she said aloud to her cat, “but it’ll do.”

At the church social, the tables were already groaning with treats - cookies in glittered tins, peppermint bark stacked in jars with ribbon, snowman-themed boxes with matching bows. Miss Alma’s humble foil-wrapped tray looked out of place. For a moment, she hesitated, her heart pinching. Maybe she should’ve stayed home.

But she set her box down anyway and slipped quietly into the back of the fellowship hall.

As the night went on, something unexpected happened. Folks started buzzing about “them molasses cookies.” People were going back for seconds, some thirds. “Who made these?” one woman asked. A young man grinned, “They taste like my grandma’s hugs!” The pastor’s wife peeked into the foil-wrapped box. “They’re about gone already!”

By the time someone realized Miss Alma had brought them, she was already blushing at the attention. “They’re just plain cookies,” she said, wringing her hands. But one lady smiled kindly and said, “They may not be in a fancy box, but they taste like Christmas is supposed to feel.”

Reflection:

How often do we worry about appearances, whether what we bring, say, or do will look impressive to others? In a world filled with glitter and wrapping paper, it’s easy to forget that God values the heart behind the gift more than the packaging itself.

Miss Alma’s cookies weren’t served in the fanciest container, but they were baked with love, humility, and a generous heart. And that’s what made them special.

This season, whether you're offering cookies, kindness, or your time, don’t fret over the wrapper. What matters most is the love that’s inside.

Prayer:

"Lord, help me to remember that You see beyond appearances. Let everything I give—whether big or small—be filled with love, sincerity, and the kind of goodness that pleases You. Teach me to value what truly matters. In Jesus’ name, amen."

Challenge:

This Christmas, do one act of giving that doesn’t focus on the packaging - something simple, heartfelt, and generous. You might just touch someone’s heart in a way no fancy bow ever could.