If you are a parent, you know from experience that the good things we do for and give to our children are not always appreciated by them. Perhaps this is because their immature and inexperienced perception is short-sighted, or maybe we have just raised ungrateful children.
Take the gift of protection, for example. Now, I am not talking about the crazy kind where you lock your kids up till they are 32 years old! But, the kind where their environment, friends, activities and exposures are carefully monitored to allow them to grow happy, healthy and wise. Instead of the thwarting of rights and freedoms, protection is a gift.
From the parent’s perspective, good gifts sometimes come with a hefty price. I will use my family as an example. Due to several circumstances in my extended family and some knowledgable people God put in our lives, we began to explore and eventually pursue a more healthy way of eating. Part of that included less desserts and fewer processed foods. Also included in that change of life was the desire to raise our own food, as much as possible, thereby knowing exactly what the animals were being fed and how they were being cared for. Our desire to be “country folk” proceeded this change of life but as we educated ourselves, the two walked hand-in-hand.
Along with country life and farm animals comes chores. Now, I don’t know about you, but would any child choose the life of chores if they could choose for themselves? But, I am convinced that the hardship of living in the country and raising our own chicken, eggs, beef and milk is a good gift we have chosen to give our children. They may not realize it while they are young but I know there are many life-long benefits to this life besides better health: a healthy work ethic, fresh air and exercise, and learning to care for someone besides themselves being just a few such benefits.
The Truth of God’s Word, and specifically the words of Jesus Himself in Matthew 7:9-11 says, “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone: Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Since I know that my children don’t always see the gifts I give to them as good gifts, I wonder how many times do I have the same response to the good gifts that my heavenly Father gives to me? We can’t always see the benefit of the gift at the time but that’s where trust and faith come into play, knowing and believing that Romans 8:28 is true when it says “And we know that all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Just as we want our children to trust us, so God says that we can trust him, even if our circumstance doesn’t seem like a gift at the time.
Then there are the gifts the come along that are obvious gifts! Some examples might be a new and better job, a pay raise, healing from an illness, an answer to a specific prayer, protection from a potentially hazardous situation, and the list goes on and on. James 1:17 says “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” When these obvious gifts rain down on us, do we stop to thank the Giver of those good and perfect gifts?
So whether the gifts we receive are obvious gifts or whether they are gifts in disguise, 1 Thessalonians 5:16 says “Rejoice always“…ALWAYS! Verse 18 of the same chapter says “…give thanks in all circumstances.” Just as our children cannot always see the goodness of the gifts we give at the time we give them, so it is the same with us as believers and God’s gifts. This is a life of faith, so trusting and thanking God for the good gifts should be an act of praise and worship that we offer instead of grumbling and complaining.
I hope you have a great day and let’s remember to be thankful for the gifts that come our way today, whether they are obvious gifts or gifts in disguise.
