On the off-chance that you might not have noticed, shopping in these pandemic days isn’t as easy as it used to be. Rising prices and supply chain bottlenecks are still the prime offenders, catapulting the world to one more “new normal”: regifting. Yes, regifting, that shameful deed which many do but are embarrassed to admit, is being taken off the taboo shelf, just in time for this holiday season.
Several news outlets have promoted the growing trend, including The New York Times, which described regifting as “another outgrowth of the pandemic reset” and “the perfect way to funnel your next purge in a way that benefits your friends and family.”
While we don’t endorse some of the suggestions included in the Times article, it is worthwhile to note the reasons being plugged: It’s “a more thoughtful and sustainable way to shop,” “the responsible choice for both your wallet and the environment.”
And a blog on website UBreakIFix highlighted the tech industry as one of the biggest losers this season, citing information gathered from several news outlets: “Supply chain disruptions are hitting the tech industry hard, raising prices by as much as $50 per gadget,” read one of its infographics.
The blog went on to advocate for “repairing [and] regifting used tech” this Christmas, claiming that doing so “could save Americans more than $40 billion per year.” Other reasons, as reported by online information hub Benzinga, include “[improving] the supply chain and [helping] the environment.”
The collective shout-out to climate change is unmistakable.
It’s the Thought that Counts
Even Christian finance guru Dave Ramsey is getting into the spirit. On his company’s website was recently posted an article entitled “12 No-Nonsense Rules of Regifting,” written with the aims to “help you organize your budget, declutter your home, and keep your relationships intact this Christmas.”
The list emphasizes an attitude of caring when sharing. “Rule number one is all about your motivation”: Are you regifting because you don’t like the item or because you’re trying to save money? Or are you giving the gift with the receiver in mind?
Rule number three adds that “rewrapping is mandatory. … Let rewrapping the gift be a reminder of the person you’re giving it to.” And rule number four even covers the person who originally gave you the gift: Avoid hurt feelings by “[remembering] who gave you the gift” in the first place.
According to Ramsey Solutions, there’s the right way to regift, and there’s the wrong way to regift.
Regifting the Gospel
The apostle Paul gave this advice to his apprentice Timothy: “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).
That really is just a reiteration of what Christ originally told His disciples: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19, 20).
The great commission given to all Christians by Christ is to teach someone else what the Bible—often through the agency of another Christian brother or sister under the guidance of the Holy Spirit—has taught you. It is, in essence, the definition of regifting.
The gospel is the greatest gift any person could receive: “By grace you have been saved through faith, and … it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8); “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). And by the everlasting mercy of God, every person—everyone who has ever lived on this Earth—has been offered this gift of life. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15).
But the Bible tells us again and again that the giving of this gift should not end with us. We are to pay it forward; pass it on.
The Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well in the heat of the day was given this gift personally by the Savior. “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water” (John 4:10), Jesus said to her.
After speaking with Him more, the woman said, “Sir, give me this water” (v. 15). From this one meeting with the Messiah, the woman ultimately told her entire city about Jesus Christ. She regifted to them the gift that Jesus had given her. She introduced them to the One who would give them the water of life.
What have you regifted this season? Have you received the gift of our Savior? Have you taken Him inside your heart? Has His gift been well-loved and well-cared-for? Has it been rewrapped with intercessory prayer and repurposed with your own testimony to the individuals God has divinely appointed for you to reach?
Maybe your regifting of the gospel will come in the form of inviting a lonely soul to Christmas dinner, or with a Bible verse or spiritual bookmark lovingly included in your Christmas card to your neighbor. Maybe it’s even your favorite Amazing Facts pocket book placed with care upon your co-worker’s desk. For inspiration we invite you to watch Pastor Doug Batchelor’s powerful charge to every soul-winner, “A Portrait of Andrew.”
However the Holy Spirit leads you to regift His gift, we encourage you to keep Jesus’ words in your heart, not just at Christmas but for all time: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).