A friend was moving to another country for a much-earned work promotion and she began the tedious process of deciding what to sell, give away and or throw out. Happy to be on the ‘give away’ list, I received some clothes, linen and a few household items, among which was a basket of crockery.
I glanced through the basket and deducted that it was just a couple of plates and cups. I was grateful for them, but having little to no cupboard space, I wasn’t sure where I’d put them.
As a result, the basket sat in my living room for about two whole weeks before I had the time to go through it— I was now on vacation leave and I had found the time. To be honest, I realised that it wasn’t really just about finding the time.
I have always loved receiving gifts, just like any of us, but from my earlier glance in the basket I assumed the crockery was just the usual stuff, a couple plates, tea cups and glasses, nothing special.
I had opened the basket several times during the weeks it sat there, urging myself to actually take a thorough look through it. On one occasion, I finally decided to take on the basket in its entirety.I was right. It was a few plates, bowls, tea cups and glasses, but, at the far corner of my eye I glanced the hint of a large glass dish.
Look a little closer
I had finally decided to unpack my gift, and to my surprise, there at the bottom of the basket was a large Pyrex dish. Now if you don’t know what a pyrex dish is, simply put, it is heat-resistant glass cookware (a brand name for a type of glass that does not break when it is heated).
I had always wanted one but could never really afford itas each time it would boil it down to a luxury item. There was always something more pressing. Even better, I loved to bake, and this was an ideal dish for that feat. I had gotten something I really wanted for a long time.
Immediately a thought popped in my head. I was treating this situation like many of the great gifts that God had given to us but have remained unopened. Many times,we receive gifts and because they don’t come in the packaging we want or expect, we procrastinate with opening those gifts, or simply just returning them. ButGod only gives good gifts.
So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him(St. Matthew Chapter 7, verse 11 NLT).
How many times has an opportunity presented itself to us but didn’t look like one, but then turned out to be just what we needed?
I believe something similar happened on my birthday last year. I received two lovely dresses and at first glance at the styles I thought to myself, this will never fit or look good on me. Yes, I was very grateful for the gifts, but a part of me was worried they wouldn’t look good on me, or so I concluded before even trying them on.
When I did try them on some weeks later, I was pleasantly surprised that both dresses actually fit quite well. In fact, my fiancé had given me one and I ended up wearing it for our engagement announcement at church.
The truth about God’s gifts
I have now learnt a very valuable lesson from all this. I made assumptions before I examined my gifts. I didn’t take the time to truly ‘unpack’them.This related to how I treated God and some of his gifts.
At times I just didn’t understand the magnitude of what was given to me, and we all know that God only gives good gifts. The Word of God reminds us thatEvery good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven… (St. James Chapter 1 verse 17 NKJV).
Being that the case, every gift that God gives is truly worth unpacking. Sometimes we don’t see that at first because we are clouded by our tunnel vision and we look at the world in the physical rather than the spiritual. When our focus is off Jesus, just like Peter, we will sink.
How we can unpack God’s gifts?
So how do we take the time to unpackour gifts?We do this when we set out to understand the purpose of our gifts, be it a spiritual or physical one. It may be a talent or even a spouse. Whatever it is, be truly grateful for it and take your time to unpack its mysterious splendour.
When it comes to our talents, we must invest time and energy in them, learning more about them and becoming the best version of ourselves because of them. God chose to gift us them for a reason.
It is never okay to waste a God-given talent! I truly believe that just like the Parable of the Talents (St. Matthew Chapter 25 verses 14 – 30 NKJV), whatever talents we don’t develop, we will lose. I remember after reading this story as an adult, I promptly found an outlet to use my voice again and I settled onsinging praise and worship.
As for a spouse, this one is the trickiest yet. Sometimes God’s ideal for us is not what we ever dreamed or imagined. We can’t see how this person could ever be what we want, but God sent them because they are what we need.
We must be patient with them, just as he has been with us. In doing so, allowing them room to grow in his grace, we are extending the grace that ultimately unpacks the fascinating layers of who God is fashioning this person to be.
I will never look at my gifts the same. I pray you never will either.
Kimberley Morgan is an International Affairs/Diplomacy Practioner who loves the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is grateful for God’s saving grace that has transformed her life. She is a worship leader and remains passionate about touching hearts through writing/blogging as she thrives to become a published author of women’s Christian fiction.
Kimberley Salmon from Jamaica West Indies is a praise and worship leader who remains passionate about touching hearts through singing and writing as she thrives to become a published author of Christian women’s fiction. She loves the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is grateful for God’s saving grace which continues to transform her life. As a senior Press Service International Columnist, she is elated that she can now share her journey with God with the world.