“To our God and Father be
glory for ever and ever. Amen.” – Philippians 4:20
I used to grasp at God's
gifts, jumping into the air to grab them out of His hands! I never could reach them,
however. The more I demanded the further back God stepped. His face grew solemn
and His pleasure in me diminished. He wanted to give me the gift. He already
had it wrapped and prepared just for me, but my attitude grieved His heart. He
had to withhold his blessings from me and to try again another day to interact
with me.
I lived in frustration. I
saw the gifts…peace, joy, honor, stability, kindness, financial security and cherishing
love. They rested in God’s hands just a few short feet from my reach. I wanted
them so much. I yearned for them. I clutched at them repeatedly, but I never
quite attained them. They stood aloof, just a bit further than my arms could
reach.
Then, I learned what God
yearned for from me all along. He did not want me to grasp, but to receive His
gifts. He wanted me to sit quietly with expectancy, my hands open, but waiting
patiently in my lap. He desired for me to want Him more than His gifts, to
light up in His presence, not simply because of His presents. He taught me to
live in the moment as He gave it to me, rather than living in regret over the
past or hungry for abundance in the future.
The result of learning this lesson is that my Heavenly Father now spoils me rotten. I receive priceless gifts from His hands many times throughout the day. The first was serenity, which I originally looked for in all the wrong places with all the wrong people. Achievement, which I once took for granted, took on a precious new aura now, because I actually felt the power of God’s Spirit using me. Financial security came as I learned to give cheerfully and spend frugally. The Body of Christ became my family and took on the role of my parents, children and siblings. Close relationships came from the most unlikely places.
Then, there were the many
smaller gifts, which took on a whole new meaning for me because I actually took
the time to notice them. The moon shimmering on the lake, the tinkling giggle
of a child, the effortless flight of birds across the sky, meaningful shapes in
the clouds, a phrase from a song that spoke to my heart, a lonely flower
growing from a crack in the sidewalk, a warm hug from a friend, a cheerful
email or phone call, a request to pray for a friend, a question to answer from
a new Believer, the perfection of a rose, a smile from a stranger, a sale at the retail store, the purr
of my cat and the wag of my dog’s tail. All of these and so much more are
special gifts from my Heavenly Father who loves me more than He loves Himself.
God went on to give me
contentment in the circumstances in which I found myself living. He trained me
to adapt, to compromise my desires, to adjust to changing situations and to
survive devastation. He instructed me to freely give His love to others as He
gave it to me. He guided me to walk in His footsteps of peace and fulfillment.
He gave me a vision of eternity and caused me to trade my finite thinking for
eternal values. He taught me to f
He loves you just as much as He loves me. He keeps us as the apple of His eye (Psalm 17:8). He makes us more than conquerors (Romans 8:37-39). He rejoices over us with gladness and exults over us with singing. He quiets us with His love (Zephaniah 3:17), and He takes away all of our anxiety and fears, because He cares about us so much (1 Peter 5:7). He has plans to bless us and He gives us a future filled with hope (Jeremiah 19:11).
