The Unwanted Gift
Have you ever given a gift to someone and they didn’t appreciate it? You could tell immediately they didn’t like it. You felt the sting as they looked disappointed and struggled to show gratitude. And honestly, your feelings were a little hurt because you spent so much time picking it out and knew it would be perfect for them, but they simply didn’t want it.
When I was a little girl, I remember one Christmas when my parents used my dad’s points from work to buy our Christmas presents. My brother, sister, and I were excited for Christmas and had written our letters to Santa asking for specifically what we wanted down to the names of the dolls, games, and toys. Dad’s points from work allowed him to shop from one specific catalog, so he and mom selected items from the catalog that were similar to the items we had asked for. I remember the excitement of opening the first present while being somewhat confused by what I was receiving. And as I opened the next and then the next gift, I realized I wasn’t getting anything I asked for. I’m sure my parents noticed my fading enthusiasm and then my disappointment. However, as I reflected many years later, I realized those points were hard-earned and by using my dad’s points that year, we were able to buy other necessities throughout the upcoming year. Other necessities much more valuable than my simple Christmas list.
Do you ever think about how God feels when he gives us a gift and he sees us obviously wishing it was something different? Or when we compare our God-given gift to other people’s gifts and feel disappointed ours isn’t like theirs. Or we wish our gift away, desiring something else, someone else, or someplace else. Or when we think we know what is best for us and we get angry our gift isn’t what we asked for.
Philippians 1:12 reads:
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.
What has happened to Paul is he is sitting in prison. Paul had a lot to do and much to accomplish, but he was sitting in prison. Paul’s situation is pretty relatable for some of us. We have a big life goal, a master plan, a to-do list, but in this moment or this season, it feels like nothing is moving us toward our goal.
However, Paul wasn’t whining about it, having a pity party, or being ungrateful for his situation. He was feeling grateful and joyful that the blessing of his imprisonment was advancing the gospel. He viewed his imprisonment as a gift. Instead of a misstep, or a wrong turn, he saw it for what it really was. It was God working everything out for his good.
Have you ever found yourself sitting in the middle of your own yuck, in the middle of a situation you wish wasn’t yours, or a time that was so hard, it was impossible to feel gratitude or see hope?
How did you function in that moment/situation/season?
Were you grateful?
Were you optimistic?
Were you able to trust God that it was serving a purpose to advance the gospel?
Were you able to see it as a gift?
I’m certain Paul’s master plan didn’t include a stay in the local prison. But he found joy, hope, and perspective in knowing even though his situation was out of his hands, his mission was still being fulfilled. He trusted God enough to know his imprisonment was a gift with a greater purpose.
We all have a dream, a hope, a life plan we have painted out in detail in our minds. Maybe we planned a perfect marriage, or a perfect child, a perfect career, or a perfect life. But did we plan to trust God? I truly believe being grateful for the gifts in the middle of our mess is where real peace, hope, and joy resides.
God thank you. Thank you for protecting us and righting us so we can stay on the path that has been laid before us. We ask that you help us build trust in you so no matter what it looks like on the outside, we know you are fully orchestrating things behind the scenes. We ask that you calm our tender hearts as we doubt, wonder, or question the gifts you have given us, and help us open our hearts to your reassurance it will be ok and you will work it all out for our good.