The Significance of Holiday Gifts, Part 2

     Last week we were looking at the significance of the gifts of the Magi to the newly-born Jesus and how that meaning can enrich our gift-giving season.  Today let's examine the meaning behind frankincense.

     Frankincense is a white resin from the Boswellia tree and has several uses.  In folk medicine, it can assist with easing arthritis and asthma, improving gut function, and possibly helping to fight cancer.  However, the more common use of the rare and expensive frankincense during Jesus' time was as a perfume or oil used in worship.  In this sense, it symbolizes the divinity of Jesus.

     During this holiday season, let's honor the divine within ourselves and each other.  Let it guide how you treat others and how you treat yourself during this crazy-busy time.  Honor the divinity within each person you meet -- the harried salesclerk, the rude drivers, the delivery people, the people who assist you in everyday life.  And remind yourself that you, too, are divine, and can rise above the crabbiness that normally occurs from being too busy and too stressed.  Breathe.  You are divine.  Breathe.  Others are divine.  Breathe.  Breathe.

(photo courtesy of pixabay.com)