If somebody gave you a gift, would you hide it?
If somebody gave you a gift, would you talk about how silly it is?
d
If somebody gave you a gift, would you pretend you created it yourself?
d
If somebody gave you a gift, would you throw it away?
d
I remember opening my presents on Christmas Eve as a kid. I remember tearing open my gifts and delighting in whatever it was that my parents or my Aunt Peggy had given me. I cherished my gifts. I thanked the giver. I shared them with my cousins. I played with them. I took care of them. I didn’t put them in a box and bury them in my closet. I didn’t tell my cousins how inadequate the gift was. I didn’t brag about the craftsmanship as if I’d made the gift myself. And I most certainly never threw any away.
d
I think this is obvious to all of us.
B
God’s given me a passion and a gift for telling stories. He gave this to me. He created me, formed me in my mother’s womb, with this gift in mind. And yet sometimes I hide my writing from others. And sometimes I tell myself I’m lousy, or I’m no good, or my dreams of being a writer are just silly. Sometimes I get prideful, as if the stories I write are my own. As if I could do all this without God’s hand guiding my steps. And sometimes I want to throw in the towel.
l
God gives all of us gifts. Whether it’s the gift of writing, singing, teaching, dancing, building, acting, healing, praying, cooking…. Whatever it is, they are gifts from God. He gave them to us so that we might delight in them, share them, take care of them, and use them to offer hope and encouragement in a world stumbling in the dark.
d
There’s no shame, and there’s no pride, in saying, “I’m a good writer.” Not if the glory goes to the One who made me this way.
d
Question to Ponder: What gift has God given you?