A young mother relayed a story from yesterday’s Mother’s Day experience. Her preteen daughter asked what she would like for Mother’s Day. The mother told her it would be wonderful simply to take a nap and wake up to a clean house and clean laundry. That, she said, would be a wonderful gift. The daughter responded, “Yeah. I was thinking more about ordering something off of Amazon.”
The gift of service is generally more difficult than one purchased. The gift that requires sacrifice and time is usually much more treasured. I heard about a missionary who was given a beautiful shell as a parting gift from one of the islanders he had served. The missionary noted that the particular shell was only located on a certain part of the island and was a great distance away. The native responded, “The long walk was part of the gift.”
Gifts aren’t always measured by their monetary value. We celebrate Mother’s and Father’s Day as a way to honor parents who have invested years of time in our lives. Their very lives were a gift to their children. The sleepless nights and years of work to serve their families are all part of their gift. They gave of themselves and not just things.
Giving is in the very nature of God. God loves, and He gives. One of the favorite verses in the Bible is John 3:16, which begins, “For God so loved the world that He gave…” Those of us who know God have the very giver of life inside us. Christian people should be the greatest givers in the world.
Salvation itself is a gift. God gave it to undeserving people. Jesus didn’t come into the world to die for good people, but for sinners. Scripture states, “But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, NKJ). Christ died for the ungodly. We deserved death but were given life! The Bible declares, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Be a giver. See life itself as a gift from God that you are to share with others. View each day as a gift from God and another opportunity to bless others. Give yourself to your spouse and children. As God has shared His life with us, we are to share our lives with others.
Discover the irony of giving. Our minds tell us that in giving to others, we will have less. But the Bible teaches that it is in giving that we actually have more. Using the imagery of a farmer and seeds, the Scripture says, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will reap generously” (II Corinthians 9:6, NIV). Live generously toward God and others, and discover a full and rich life!