YOUR LIFE—A GIFT TO GIVE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Last week I flew to the Pacific Northwest—a place where my soul soars unlike anywhere else.

Oregon’s towering forests, winding roads, vast stretches of orchards, snowy mountain peaks, breathtaking beauty, and civil temperatures expand and enrich my spirit. Especially after enduring a long stint of stifling Texas temperatures.

The primary purpose of the trip was to celebrate my mother-in-law’s 95th birthday. The big bash, scheduled for Sunday afternoon at her church, brought friends and family together. After being isolated due to the pandemic, gathering with others did her heart good. She retracted her ‘I don’t want a party’ statement by sopping up all the love flowing her way.

Before the party, my mother-in-love potted succulents for her guests. An ardent gardener, the party girl divided her bounty to share as a gift for her guests. Little did she know, she gave me gifts the entire week we spent together.

GIFTS

Her fine-china memories, durable like the sturdy leather shaving strap her father used to sharpen his straight blade razor, were set before me like an exquisite banquet. Each story served up a slice of life, a morsel of a delectable moment, or a dessert-like humorous tale.

She shared a lullaby about a bird her grandmother sang to her as a child. The final stanza recounts how the eggs hatched, and the four little birds fly into their future. She bore four children of her own. Two have flown beyond space and time, but live ever close in her heart.

Cherished baby dolls, a few years younger than herself, revealed the origin of her second daughter’s middle name. Some friends are too precious to leave behind.

A handmade medicine cabinet with crackled white paint held more stories. She remembers watching her momma apply face powder and seeing her daddy shave in the now absent mirror. On the top shelf, a small milk glass jar with a metal lid held the salve her mother slathered on her ‘bumps’. The cabinet accompanied them wherever they moved.

Image by dlarson1523 from Pixabay

A PRESENT GIFT

As a little child, she recalled a conversation between her parents about being out of food. In their dire situation, they decided to walk to the store to see if they might acquire some groceries on credit.

When she wasn’t carried, she bobbed alongside her folks on foot. Once they arrived the store owner handed her parents a letter from her uncle. Included in the envelope was a one hundred dollar bill.

Struck by the goodness of God and His perfect timing, my eyes pooled with tears. I offered a silent prayer of thanksgiving—swelling wonder exploded in my heart. The impact of an almost century-old story reminded me anew of God’s unfailing love.

Funny, her story of God’s care became a gift for me.

A NOVEL IS NOT A SHORT STORY

We are all caught up in a story larger than ourselves. A tale too good to be true, but it is. One that plays out up-close and personal, where the potential for people and circumstances to obstruct our view of Life and Love is real. We can get in our own way trying to make sense of specific moments when the manuscript is lifelong.

Listening to my mother-in-love’s stories magnified the radiance of life. All of it—the messy, the miserable, and the majestic—played out over 95 years.

Dear reader, are you struggling with the way your story is unfolding? Don’t forget those things that do not make sense or are making you miserable are not without purpose. There is a Writer crafting something beyond your imagination with your life. (Ephesians 1:4) An Author who has determined a specific purpose for your precious life—good works. (Ephesians 2:10) One whose desires for you are ultimately the best and highest.

We might not always recognize the gifts He sends or realize when He uses us to be a gift. Perhaps that is best.

It may take years before we realize He is constantly lavishing us with gifts. Hindsight may clarify what we thought tragic as triumphant.

RECEIVE “THE GIFT”

Elisabeth Leseur recommends,

“Above all, we must ask God to fill us with an intense charity. Charity is love: the love of God that renews and transforms the soul and life and becomes the secret cause of our acts, the love of all creatures, the powerful and living love of souls, the love of all that suffers and laments.

Such love could save the world. Why groan, when with such a love one might act? Why hate, since hate destroys, when that divine love can bring life and transformation to hearts?”

There is only one you. You are a gift.

Since we cannot give what we do not have—receive. Receive from God the resurrection life of Jesus Christ. Then give of His fullness as you live in the power of the Spirit. Your life, overflowing with His own, is a gift you can share.

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Martin Luther had something to say about life being a gift. You can read his insights here.