Bill White writes in Discipleship Journal

When I was a boy, my father would go away twice a year to buy clothing for his clothing store. The minute my three brothers and I heard his car drive up after one of these trips, we would run to meet him, asking what he had brought back in his suitcase for us.

But one day, when he set the suitcase down after we asked what he brought home for us, he said, "I brought you me."

I remember the disappointment. "Aren't you happy to see me?" he said. "I brought you me."

"Yeah, we're happy to see you," we answered, "but what have you got for us in your suitcase?" We bore the mark of immaturity—being wrapped up in gifts instead of the giver.