I Don't Want a Can Opener for Christmas

“Arrgh, I want a new can opener!”

I wrestled the kitchen gadget to cooperate with my can of pumpkin. It failed. In the end I had to pry the lid open with a spoon.

This time of year my 16-year-old keeps her ears peeled for hints of anything I might need or have my eye on. She keeps a list of possible Christmas gifts for her mother that shows she was paying attention. It’s all very thoughtful and practical, and I’m grateful.

But I hoped she hadn’t heard me arguing with the can opener.

Because I don’t want one for Christmas.

I want one NOW.

Seriously. There was a day when my kids didn’t need to pay attention because I’d beat them to the punch with my own wish list of household items and essentials like socks and underwear. I’d pass it along to my husband and children so they could shower me with necessities wrapped under the tree.

But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve also become more stubborn—about my value, my reasonable claim to solutions for daily life. I didn’t spend the last twenty years of marriage and parenting sacrificing and tending to everybody else’s needs just so I could hit my 50s and wait six weeks for a functioning can opener. I deserve that can opener today.

And I can haul my own tushy to Target to buy one. No Christmas list needed.

Pause button: Yes, I’m a Christian, I love Jesus, I know the Bible, and I realize theologically I don’t “deserve” anything but death. Just work with me here. I’m talking about ascribing value to ourselves as children of God. He doesn’t mind if I buy myself a can opener. Why should I?

There’s an awareness of self-worth we gain in our older years that I know now is wisdom, but in my younger days I misunderstood. I used to think loving God meant setting myself aside. Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow Him, and doesn’t that mean our wants don’t matter?

No. It means we don’t have a right to run our own lives… but by relinquishing that job to God, we’re actually taking the very best possible care of ourselves, because He knows way better than we do what’s best for us. So really, surrendering to Jesus is the greatest act of self-love there is.

And while I don’t deserve a life free of pain—Jesus Himself suffered for me and He’ll use pain to make me more like Him—I also don’t need to deny myself the comforts God makes readily available. Comforts like a can opener. Or a pair of walking shoes without worn-down treads. Or a new Bible to enjoy during my study hour.

There was a time when I’d have put all those things on my Christmas list and waited. And if that’s how you roll, great. Practical is admirable. I, too, would rather receive an ice cream maker than a diamond necklace. My joys are simple and relatively cheap.

But I also realize there’s nothing wrong with buying that ice cream maker—before Christmas—for myself. Because I am just as valuable as everyone else in the house. And heavens knows I’d give my family the world if I could.

“Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.” (Ecclesiastes 10:10)

Equipping ourselves with tools to thrive isn’t selfish; it’s wisdom. So what have you been putting off giving to yourself? What makes you hesitate to believe you’re worth a splurge, or even a simple need fulfilled?

I’m going to buy that new can opener today. And I’m going to use it to spin open another can of pumpkin, which I will use to make my family another batch of their favorite pumpkin bars. Which will bless them in ways I could not have done had I not possessed a working can opener.

Imagine that. Investing in ourselves is sometimes what’s required to serve the people we love.

So don’t wait. You’re all worth it.