Do you like to wrap presents? I love wrapping! My father was our resident gift wrapper when I was a child. He had worked in gift wrap at a department store growing up, so his packages were stunning. When I was old enough not to tell what we were wrapping, I was allowed to be his wrapping assistant. I was given the job of tearing and placing the tape. I used to go through tape like there was no tomorrow. Since it was the only job I had, I wanted to do it well. Through the years, my father taught me how to wrap packages that looked like a work of art. It was fun.

Today, I don’t always get to spend as much time on wrapping packages. Sometimes I’m doing well to simply have the packages to wrap. After all, it’s what’s inside that matters to the person receiving the gift, right?

If we believe that what is on the inside matters most, then why do we spend far more time focusing on our outside. Think about all the time we invest in outward appearances. We spend hours a week in a gym. We get our hair cut, and possibly colored, which takes time. We shop the day away looking for the perfect outfit. We spend an hour or more getting a shower, getting dressed, fixing our hair and putting on makeup. How much time do we spend a day sitting at the feet of Jesus, soaking in His presence, learning from the Master?

There is nothing wrong with taking care of yourself. After all, we are ambassadors for Christ [2 Corinthians 5:20]. The problem arises when all of our attention is spent on the packaging and none is spent on the gift inside.

Jesus set the example of how we are to commit our day to God [Mark 1:35]. If He, being God, needed to start His day with the Father, why should we think we don’t? We need to take time to settle ourselves before the craziness of the day and settle our focus on God [Psalm 46:10]. Then everything we do throughout our day, can be done in His presence and for His glory [1 Corinthians 10:31].

Take some time today to get alone with the Father. Remove the trappings of your day and look inside your heart and see what’s inside.