We are getting ready to celebrate my daughter’s birthday tomorrow and she has been excited for a while. She doesn’t have a wish list of gifts or anything, but just gets excited for the celebration, cake, singing, and gifts with people she loves. As parents, we like to give good gifts to our children, as we want to see them happy and pleased, but we also don’t want to give them everything they ask for, as that starts to set unrealistic expectations, and dare I say will spoil them. So, its really a balance of giving them what they need, and sometimes want, and saying ‘no’ to things that will not benefit them in the long run. e.g….We are trying to hold off on video games as long as possible, as in my opinion, there is not much redeeming quality in them. Sometimes, we are not always sure what to get, but if we know our children well and see something they will like, then we know it. Is God like this in any way with us?
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. James 1:17
Some people like surprises, when they are good, but no one really likes surprises when they are unwanted, such as lost keys, a flat tire, or other mechanical problem at a bad time. Even more so, when we have an injury, illness, or loss of something we cannot get back. We do not often like these ‘bad gifts’ in the moment, but after we get through them, we are often better for it, as it makes us more resilient and confident and may even build our trust in our Lord. We will face trials and tribulations of many kinds throughout life and they are balanced out by our abilities to overcome and other joys in life. We don’t often see these challenges and struggles as gifts, but they can be when they are looked at in the right way. Do you embrace the good times as well as the challenges of life with equal optimism?
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
Whenever I go through scripture, I often find new nuggets of knowledge I had either forgotten or never seen before, even in verses I have read dozens of times. Its like a treasure trove of wisdom that is there to be found by each one of us, if we open it up. Surely, God wants each of us to discover, not only beautiful truths in His Word, but the same joys of discovery in the natural world around us, in the depths of space, in how our minds and bodies work, in so many things that He made that we are engaged with every day. In the right context, these things inspire awe and wonder in us as we unlock some of the puzzles and mysteries that we don’t initially understand. It also helps bring a balance and ability to transcend the sin, sadness, death, and destruction that are also part of the world in which we live. May you find these joys in living each day of your life!
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! Matthew 7:11
Yours in Christ,
Clark
