Gifts

The art of gift-giving is an art my husband is very good at. And, might I mention, he doesn't only give gifts to me! However, lately, he has blessed me so much with two wonderful and probably life-changing gifts. He gave me the garden for our anniversary, which you can read about on this blog. I have always wanted to grow a garden. My grandparents always had a garden every summer and they first inspired me with the idea as a young child. It is so neat to have something so "pure" and "good" for our family to have to "think upon", as Phillipians 4:8 says. Watching a plant grow from a seed is something I had never done before and it is something that definitely reveals the glory of God! Our family is richer for the experience, and I hope to make it a yearly one.

David gave me yet another gift this month, for Mother's Day. It was very thoughtful. He got me a new Bible! I've had my NIV Study Bible since at least 1993, maybe longer. The dedication page on which my mother wrote so nicely the date and occassion of her and my dad giving it to me fell out long ago, and now I've forgotten when it was. To make a long story short, the Bible I ended up with is the New Living Translation Life Application Study Bible. I haven't read much yet, as I just got it yesterday afternoon, but I can already tell my time with the Lord will be enriched and my relationship with Him stronger, as I use this fresh new translation to hear His Word through the same Holy Spirit He has always used to speak to His children.

David has taught me so much about giving gifts! Receiving a gift, a gift that really met a need and/or blessed you in a special way, like the gifts described above, is not an everyday occurrence. Think about it. When is the last time you received a gift that really "hit the spot" in this way? When did you last receive a gift that was just exactly what you wanted or needed? First of all, make sure you let the giver know how much the gift meant to you--even if it's been years since the giving. Secondly, make sure you are a good receiver. If you do not appreciate a gift, do not lie, but do not be rude either. However, if you do appreciate it, and yet your pride is getting in the way of letting you truly be thankful for what someone wanted to bless you with, then you need to take a look at that heart of yours and ask God to start doing some serious surgery! Pride will rob you of so much joy! Thirdly, let the givers example inspire you to be a great gift-giver also! Don't let money or time hold you back. Just budget and plan and make it a priority to think of someone other than yourself or the hurry you're in, or all the things you have to do and make it happen. Blessing others is usually a lot more rewarding than checking off the To Do list! And coming from the queen of checking off lists, that's saying a lot! I've actually, on occassion written on my To Do list for the week, in between number three "Fold and put away the laundry" and number 5 "Plan out the dinner menu for the next two weeks", number 4 "Think of some ways to bless others this week and do it". You know, God always honors that and gives you the opportunity and means to do it!

Be encouraged and give the gifts God has given you in order to be like Him and bless others. Even a timely word, picking up a couple groceries for a busy friend, or mowing a neighbor's lawn are all excellent examples of gifts anyone can give.

Rachel