I have many people in my life - myself included - who like to return gifts. You know how it is. Someone gives you a gift and the size is wrong or the color clashes with your hair and you HAVE to return it. Nothing against the wonderful intentions of the giver - it just makes sense to return the gift. After all, we don't want it to just sit in the closet taking up room.
Lately, I've been thinking about the gifts God gives to us. I think some of us - again myself included - have attempted to return these gifts as well. The only catch is, these gifts are NOT returnable. The gifts God gives are PERMANENT. We don't earn them or deserve them. They are not given because we are "good" or qualified. They are simply given out of the heart of God. A heart filled with love. A heart that is PERFECT and desires to BLESS.
So what happens when we, so insecure sometimes, so imperfect and sinful, realize we have such amazing gifts? Well, we can have any number of responses.
One is to reject the gift and the giver. Often there are those who are so broken, so wounded that they simply cannot bring themselves to ACCEPT the awesome things God has placed in them. SO they rebel - against who they really are and against the God who created them.
Another common response is to take pride in it. To somehow think that you deserve the gift. That you're "greatness" is because of your "greatness" - YUCK. Total and complete pride and haughtiness. This response also rejects/ignores the giver. Yet, God NEVER rescinds a gift. Once given, it is permanent.
Oftentimes we respond in ways that are not so extreme. We acknowledge that the gift is there (to an extent) but we shy away from it. We find that the greatness of the gift makes us feel unworthy or uncomfortable. It's difficult for us to receive the FULL MEASURE of all CHRIST has given us.
We are unworthy and that makes us uncomfortable UNTIL we fully accept that we are desperate for Jesus. For who HE IS and ALL HE has done for us.
I believe that the best response we can have and how we can honor GOD most, is to acknowledge that we don't deserve HIS favor, HIS sacrifice, HIS gifts and to RECEIVE THEM FULLY.
Embrace the unique gifts God has placed within you. MOVE IN THEM. Don't shy away from the GLORY of GOD in YOU. He wants to live HIS LIFE out through you - using the amazing uniqueness and awesomeness of YOU. You walking in the fullness of your calling BRINGS GLORY to GOD. DO not steal HIS GLORY by rejecting His gifts.
Whether He's given you unique talents to sing, dance, paint, sculpt, write, speak in public, make people laugh, listen, counsel, etc; or made you beautiful, athletic, brilliant, sensitive, intuitive, organized, creative, etc; or given you money, power, position, influence, etc... USE ALL OF IT TO THE GLORY OF GOD.
No longer apologize or understate who HE made you to BE. YOU are a valuable part of God's kingdom on the this Earth and HE desires you to be ALL that He designed you to be.
Embrace the Giver
Embrace the Gift
Surrender to the Giver
Surrender the Gift
As we embrace and surrender, HE can be freely expressed through us.
He increases, we decrease, and all the while we become more fully who HE created us to be... ONE with our God.
