This post exists to help you answer the profound and pressing question (which, I’m sure, is on your mind or at least will be in a moment): What do Mary the mother of Jesus, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and you all have in common? This question is so compelling, you will keep running it over and over in your mind, searching for the answer, even as you continue to read! Have you ever received a gift that really was for the benefit of the person who gave it to you? Have you ever received a waffle iron from someone in your family who likes waffles (and you are the one who makes breakfast)? Gifts like that are given for the purpose of the giver, not the receiver. In a way, many of the gifts God gives are like that. Throughout the Bible, when God gives someone something, it is usually for the fulfillment of a purpose God has in mind. Many of the gifts God gives are for God’s purposes. Often, people who receive such gifts from God are not too happy about receiving them – at