Once upon a time... I feel as thought that is how this message should begin because it shares the qualities of a fairy tale. Just a few weeks ago, my husband was the recipient of a very unexpected "gift." Someone, who has chosen to remain anonymous, left him this gift in a plain envelope with his initials handwritten on the front. The gift was quite large and totally unexpected. It came with no fanfare, ceremony or fancy wrappings, and it came with no strings attached.
Originally, I tried to deduce who may have given him, or us, this gift. I thought of people who may have more of the "where-with-all" to be so generous and then the thought came... perhaps such is not true, perhaps instead the giver was acting out of obedience to the prompting of the Father. Perhaps the giver was being truly sacrificial.
I've thought, too, how very Jesus like the giver was... with no pride on display, no eagerness to claim credit for the good deed and no demands on what we do with the gift.
We have been praying for the giver. And, we've prayed that we would use the gift in a way that would honor the sacrifice made on our behalf - whether out of the giver's abundance or out of the giver's obedience or both. While praying, it occured to me how best to do that... Lord, help us to treat all we know and all we encounter as though they were the giver.
2 comments:
That is such a beautiful thought, and also completely in accordance with how the Lord wants us to act. For we never know when there are "angels in our midst"!
How wonderful! God is so very aware of our situations and often works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. He has so many good gifts for us when we trust and obey. I am sure the giver of your gift has received just as much joy as you with no real credit needed from anyone but the Father. Enjoy your gift.
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