I have never been good at giving gifts. My major shortcomings in this area are the result of a lack of artistic and creative talent, my limited finances, and fruitless attempts to read other people's minds.
Most of the people that live in my compartment of the world would be satisfied with the things that I could give if I had just a little more money. I am not saying that my friends and family are shallow or that they determine the value of a gift based on the cost required to purchase it; I am just admitting that I live among people who have legitimate material needs and wants which, if acquired, would make life less difficult or at least more pleasant. The meeting of those wants or needs might actually trump a thoughtful gift made with my own hands in their eyes because of the value it would have in their life. My wife is a great lady, but she would surely appreciate a new four wheel drive vehicle for Christmas more that she would a pot holder made with my love and sweat, and beads purchased at the dollar store.
There are, however, people in this world who do not need any more material possessions than they currently possess. They have homes with pools, condos in Hawaii, cars worth more than any house I could ever hope to live in, and more money in their spare change pockets than I could afford to have credited to a gift card at any local restaurant or coffee house. Recently, my wife and I have added just such a married couple to the list of people who are involved in our lives.
My wife, Connie, volunteers at a local charity. While doing a good thing for the community, she has been befriended by a very nice lady who is more than generous with the time she gives to the charity. She and her husband are also the type of people who have large coffers and are more than liberal in opening them up for the benefit of others. While being generous benefactors to local charities, they are also huge supporters and fans of one of the major universities in our area. They not only give to this college with unparalleled liberality, they also cheer on the athletic teams with season tickets that give them possession of seats with better views of some of the plays than the officiating crews have. And sometimes, when other committments take precedence and a game cannot be attended, these lovely people put my wife and I in those seats.
Connie and I love sporting events. We attend them regularly, but when we purchase tickets our best view is usually attained by looking at the big screen scoreboard over the field. We are not used to seats that allow us to discern facial expressions or to wince at the audio of participants not pleased with certain developments in the game, but this nice lady and her husband who do great things for the community have included us in their gift-giving four times this year. Because we could never afford such great seats on our own, we are exceedingly grateful with the gifts they give us. And they are gifts because these people never allow us to even attempt to pay them anything.
The problem, however, is that we really want to give them something to show our appreciation, but have no idea what that something should be. Even if I had unlimited amounts of cash, there is nothing that I could purchase for these people that they might need. If they had truly needed it, it would already have been in their possession. And the still the generosity continues. I might feel bad about my inability to match their giving, but our friends don't give it a thought.
The story that I have told you is true. People such as these do exist. Most of us know one or more of them. We may not all be acquainted with very wealthy generous people, but we do not doubt that they exist. And we know that if they exist, it is foolhardy for those of us with limited financial resourses to try and return their generosity in a way that will balance the scales. Such attempts would be fruitless and destructive.
People like our friends, with giving hearts and resources beyond our imagination, do not expect or even think about matching gifts. Their kindness is real and does not concern itself with some reciprocal benefit; rather, it is given with the sole concern of benefitting others.
Such kindness is a picture of God.
I often marvel at my own desire to give something to God that might somehow balance the scales of giving. I sometimes tally all of my good works and wonder if it is enough. Then I try to figure out what more I can do to make God continue to love and bless me. I forget that God will always love and bless me, even when I am not able to love and bless Him back as I should. His resources of blessing are unlimited. Mine are not.
One day my wife mentioned a local restaurant in the presence of her friend. The lady said that she liked a certain beer that they made. My wife took note and has decided to purchase some of that beer as a gift for them. Not even for a moment does she intend to equalize all of their kindness through financial retribution--the cost will be minimal--but rather, to show appreciation by presenting something thoughtful and personal. She knows this because she listened to what was said and considered it important enough to take note of. That is called friendship.
I am convinced that God is the same. He does not demand the surrender of our limited resources; he longs instead, for our heart of friendship.
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