Gift

I love good gifts.  I love giving good gifts, knowing that a loved one is opening up a gift from me that I have put a lot of thought into, maybe saved up for; a gift that expresses the fact that I know them, have paid attention to their likes, dislikes, sense of style, hobbies or interests, favorite colors or choices in music or books or scents.  I love seeing the look on their face when they open the package and see my love reflected in the gift I’ve given them. I’m not going to lie, I love getting good gifts too. For all of those same reasons; when I open up a present and know that the giver has spent time thinking about the joy I would experience in unwrapping the gift, I know that I am loved and cherished.  It’s less about collecting a bunch of “stuff” to add to an already growing collection of “stuff”...it is about the love and intention and sometimes sacrifice surrounding the gift than it is in the gift itself. I love good gifts.

When I think about the gifts that the Lord has given to me over the years, I realize that the same is true for Him.  He loves to give good gifts! Our lives, our very breath, our families, our friends, our health, our jobs or careers, our talents and abilities, His creation, our salvation & hope for eternity, His unbelievable grace and mercy.  All are good gifts from a loving and intentional Father who has put a lot of thought, and yes, sacrifice into gifting us with good things. Why does He delight in giving us good gifts? For no other reason than the indescribable love that He has for us.  He doesn’t have to give us good gifts, He could give us mediocre gifts, just enough to get us through life, but not give us joy in the unwrapping. He could give us just enough breath and health that we could survive but not really thrive, a job that doesn’t fulfill, families that just coexist but don’t love or support, relationships that are shallow, creation that sustains life but doesn’t amaze and thrill us in all of its beauty and diversity, abilities that help us get a job done but don’t fill us with purpose and pleasure.  Sometimes it feels like He is giving other people gifts that we would like for ourselves, but He always, always gives us gifts that are perfectly suited for us. And when it seems like the gift of health, relationships, fulfilling careers are passing us by, we can rest in the assurance that it’s because He has a greater plan and purpose for our lives than what those gifts alone can give us. Trust me, I have learned so many times that He knows best what a good gift is; my mother used to tell me “You can’t out-give God, Jana; He gives the best gifts.”