"Do not neglect the gift that is in you... 1 Tim. 4:14"
Listen: Jason Gray, "With Every Act of Love" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vqf9WRKYTs
A few years back, I asked the children at Children's Message time in church if they could have anything they wanted,what gift they would ask for. Well, that opened a flurry of responses. From Wii u -s, nintendos, xboxs, to tablets, iphones, American girl dolls, a day at Dylan's Candy Store, talking Elmo, a horse, and of course Barbie and all her accouterments -- the kids were not at a loss of thinks they felt would make their day.
It got me thinking: how early on we learn to confuse the gift and the giver. The giver is a just a means to an end- a toy, a meal, a place to call home, someone who loves and cares and accepts us. Do we realize how gifted we are to have all these things? I read somewhere that children in less fortunate circumstances answer differently: they pray for food, a new pair of shoes, clean water, a chance to go to school.
I realized how much more focus we need to put in celebrating our truly priceless gifts: our families, the love and teachings of Jesus to guide our lives, the opportunities we have in life to make a difference around us. How easy it is to take for granted the most precious gifts in our lives, all the people and circumstances that ground us and give us meaning and purpose. What a change we could create in our communities if each of us realized all the ways we are a gift. We are gifts to our families. We are God's gift to the world. We are a gift to the people we meet throughout the day. We can bring that gift of a new pair of shoes or shelter for someone.
Gift comes from the old English meaning to give. So "gift" is about doing! What a difference our day would be if we began each morning acknowledging that God is gifting us to the world today. What a difference if for a moment, we let sink in our psyche that we are gifts. If only we can take in the spiritual worth of that truth!
What if you are the only precious gift someone receives today? In God's hands, you will gift all the lives around you -- in different ways but always conveying something needed, something wanted and precious.
Whose gift are you this minute?
Pray: "Lord, thank you for the gift of your love and your teachings on how we are to live. Make me a gift this moment to someone in need."
Listen: Jason Gray, "With Every Act of Love" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vqf9WRKYTs
A few years back, I asked the children at Children's Message time in church if they could have anything they wanted,what gift they would ask for. Well, that opened a flurry of responses. From Wii u -s, nintendos, xboxs, to tablets, iphones, American girl dolls, a day at Dylan's Candy Store, talking Elmo, a horse, and of course Barbie and all her accouterments -- the kids were not at a loss of thinks they felt would make their day.
It got me thinking: how early on we learn to confuse the gift and the giver. The giver is a just a means to an end- a toy, a meal, a place to call home, someone who loves and cares and accepts us. Do we realize how gifted we are to have all these things? I read somewhere that children in less fortunate circumstances answer differently: they pray for food, a new pair of shoes, clean water, a chance to go to school.
I realized how much more focus we need to put in celebrating our truly priceless gifts: our families, the love and teachings of Jesus to guide our lives, the opportunities we have in life to make a difference around us. How easy it is to take for granted the most precious gifts in our lives, all the people and circumstances that ground us and give us meaning and purpose. What a change we could create in our communities if each of us realized all the ways we are a gift. We are gifts to our families. We are God's gift to the world. We are a gift to the people we meet throughout the day. We can bring that gift of a new pair of shoes or shelter for someone.
Gift comes from the old English meaning to give. So "gift" is about doing! What a difference our day would be if we began each morning acknowledging that God is gifting us to the world today. What a difference if for a moment, we let sink in our psyche that we are gifts. If only we can take in the spiritual worth of that truth!
What if you are the only precious gift someone receives today? In God's hands, you will gift all the lives around you -- in different ways but always conveying something needed, something wanted and precious.
Whose gift are you this minute?
Pray: "Lord, thank you for the gift of your love and your teachings on how we are to live. Make me a gift this moment to someone in need."
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