God Gave Straight From The Heart
Years ago, when my children were small, I was raising them by myself and working shift work. Yes, we were poor as church mice and that meant among other things, for Mother’s Day, my birthday and Christmas, my children were unable to purchase me any gifts.
I particularly remember one Mother’s Day when I had gotten home from working midnight shift. The kids were about 9, 7 and 4 years old. We had a weekend routine when I was working midnight shift. Here is how it went…I would pick them up from the babysitter, fix them breakfast, put in a movie from “Blockbuster” and then I’d lay down on the couch to get a few hours of sleep.
One particular Mother’s Day, after “the routine” and the movie was over, I was awakened by 3 very excited children. It seems they had gifts for me! As I wiped the sleep from my eyes and tried to comprehend what was going on, I noticed they each held an object wrapped in newspaper. My son handed me his gift first.
Imagine my surprise when I opened a blue glass bowl that I owned!! The girls handed me their two gifts and again, when I opened them, I found the blue candle sticks that matched the bowl!
When I looked at their precious faces and their big smiles, I was overcome with love and gratitude for these little lives I was blessed to call my children. Yes, I cried.
It never occurred to them that these were things I already owned. They just wanted to give me something for Mother’s Day. They gave from their heart.
Jesus calls us to give from the heart. We so often give, but not from our hearts.
The most beloved and well-known verse in the Bible is John 3:16.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Do you notice the word “gave” in there? God gave us Jesus.
I believe at the heart of our Christian beliefs is giving.
Unfortunately, the culture we live in tells us to grab all you can get.
But if we are to be true followers of Jesus Christ, we must give.
So often we think that giving refers to money. Of course, it can be. But don’t you think giving of yourself is about the best gift we can give?
“Jesus said, “I did not come into the world to be served, but to serve, and to give my life...”
My children were not concerned with the gift, as much as they were concerned with giving. They gave me genuine love and in turn, they received such joy.
It’s true, the happiest people are those who give. And when we do, we, too, discover true joy.
"You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give." Kahlil Gibran