A Lesson on Gifts

“For this reason I remind you to

fan into flame the gift of God,

which is in you.”

2 Timothy 1:6, NIV

Braiding hair is a gift. 

I love spending time with my daughters as I work on their hair.

Though at times I wish it didn't take quite as long -- the hairdo below took me a whopping 7 hours to complete . . . yikes! -- for me to ensure the health and appeal of their hair.

Baking is a gift.

I enjoy baking quite a lot.

Yet the person that comes to mind is one of my best friends from college. Anyone and everyone who has ever tasted one of his killer cakes, pies, pastries, and other yummilicious goodies can attest to his giftedness in this area. Every October, despite living in Oklahoma, my daughter and I receive a special cake from his Bay area kitchen in honor of our birthdays. Thank you, dear friend!

Gardening is a gift.

I enjoy getting my hands dirty in the soil.

There is no way to express how grateful I am to be able to turn an area that was jam-packed with weeds, thistles, and rocks into an inviting flower garden or a fragrant herb garden. It is especially satisfying to watch such a transformation take place in the clay-baked Oklahoman soil.

Singing, too, is a gift.

I enjoy singing and have been singing since I exited the womb.
I sang my first professional solo in Port-au-Prince, Haiti as an 11-year old boy.

By the grace of God, I have since earned three degrees in voice, have been teaching singing full time for many years, and continue to be granted opportunities to sing at international events.

The human voice is not earned and it could never be deserved. It is a freewill offering on the part of God, the Giver. As such, singing necessitates a response of gratitude on the part of each recipient. As a gift, the human voice is a precious and fragile object that must be handled with utmost care. 

As I reflect on the above gifts, I see God as a Father who delights in gifting His children for His glory. James 1:17 says it in this manner, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights" (NIV). And to be sure, there are so many gifts on display in this world:

-  Talking
-  Cooking
-  Thinking
-  Breathing
-  Preaching
-  Running
-  Encouraging

Could we ever list them all?

Absolutely not.

What, then, should we do with these gifts entrusted to our care?

Following are four ways one might consider responding to God’s generosity:

 Be Grateful.

We are invited to thank God who is the Creator and grantor of every good gift. We are grateful to those who have encouraged us along the way. We are grateful to the teachers who seek to shape and mold us. We are grateful to others who receive the offering or service of our gifts. Failure to acknowledge any gift and express appreciation for the Giver’s generosity is not only poor taste and a sign of bad manners, it is borderline barbaric. The only thing worse than that is the choice to grumble about the gift, deeming it unfit, unworthy, or not good enough. So, every gift is placed within us to infuse our hearts with gratitude and to foster a desire to express appreciation to God for it. We can only become proficient if we truly understand and recognize the real value and true source of our gift.

Be Personal.

I have learned that it is extremely important to plan some one-on-one time to get to know the Giver personally. When we receive a present from someone, it means that the person holds us in high esteem. The nice and appropriate thing to do is to spend some time with that person and allow them to mean something to us as well. That personal aspect requires patience to come into the equation which will lead to true intimacy between the Giver and the recipient. In other words, every good gift exists as a gracious invitation to spend time with God in His Word and in His world, all for the spread of His glory and fame.

Be Respectful.

A most important response to God the Giver is respect. We need to aim to esteem both the gift and the Giver. Often, whether by accident or neglect, we simply grab the gift and discard it instead of setting out to value and honor it. At the other end of the spectrum, self-control must be exercised as we use any gift lest it becomes an idol or gets ruined through overuse. I have observed that the more respected the gift becomes, the deeper and more intimate the relationship gets between the Giver and the recipient.

Be Purposeful.

All the aforementioned notions of gratitude, intimacy, and respect will come to naught unless there is a plan or purpose attached to the gift. As stewards of God's generous resources, we are blessed with the charge of planning to use the gift wisely and intentionally because the Giver had a specific purpose in offering it to us. In other words, with each gift comes a sense of telos -- meaning, purpose, or end. We are thus invited to pray and ask the Giver for guidance as we use the gifts lavished on us.

So What?

On this side of heaven, we form a wonderful family of privileged individuals who have all received precious gifts from the Father of heavenly lights. How many of us would say that we follow the pattern described above in handling the most precious resources stored within us? Like most recipients of God's grace, we can all think back on many instances when our response to divine gifts has been found wanting -- often lacking the gratitude, value, respect, and purpose that should accompany them.

For instance, I rarely pause to thank God for the gift of hair braiding. However, this gift graciously affords me time to bond with my daughters -- time that is often spent listening to their hearts, sharing about my failures and successes, and hearing God's Word or bible based stories. Likewise, in my baking or gardening or singing, I often miss out on definite opportunities to value, respect, and find personal meaning in the Giver of my gifts. My foolishness notwithstanding, God still uses these and other gifts to reveal Himself to me and to refine me in His love.

Indeed, these four responses beckon our faculties to employ them for the sake of the gospel and our personal growth. Gratitude ushers us into the presence of the Giver. Value causes us to cherish our Master. Respect strengthens our ultimate obedience to our Lord. Purpose leads us to live a more conscious, God-honoring, and fulfilling life. Together, these four gems graciously represent some wings upon which we take flight, soar, and ultimately land in a place where our giftedness may increasingly "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18) -- a place that offers a most delicious foretaste of divine glory.

May we approach every gift of ours with awe and reverence! May God use us and our gifts to bring more lost souls to His way and will! May today be the day that we seek to fan into flame God’s glorious gift of grace! May this hour be the moment when we mourn, lament, and denounce our tendencies to use God's gifts in us according to our own whims instead of yielding to the impulse of God's pleasure and love! May this season be the time when we learn to see more clearly the radiance and glories of the saving cross -- the gift that bridges the chasm between man and God! 

Soli Deo Gloria! 
To God be the glory!