Gifts

So, I found myself alone one birthday and feeling kind of blue about it. I dared to ask God to give me a birthday gift. The next morning, bright and early, my brother called to wish me a happy birthday. While it’s not an entirely unusual thing for our family members to call someone on their birthday, it's not entirely usual either. The thought that I might get calls on my birthday never crossed my mind. I was not expecting it at all and I was thrilled to hear from my big brother at 7:00 a.m. on my birthday! God answered my prayer and had given me a special gift. He then multiplied it throughout the day and evening as I got more calls from my family members.

Amazingly, rather than chastise myself and shame myself for having become dull to the signs of His love which I really believed He was already giving, rather than putting a guilt burden on myself and demanding that I "Pay more attention, you ungrateful slob!", I instead dared to ask for another gift the next day. And the next, and the next. And thus began a season where my relationship with God took on a new intimacy. I dared to believe He loved me enough to want to give me gifts each day. I began each day asking, Will You give me a gift today? or, What gift do You have for me today? Because of this, my eyes changed. I didn’t look for gifts per se, as in “What can I consider to be a gift about today?” I wasn’t on the hunt for something to attach God’s name to, but I was expectant when I asked. I just went about my day, often forgetting to expect a gift altogether. But when it came, I knew it. I began to keep a little notebook in my purse that I wrote His gifts down in.

Most often, His gifts to me were in the form of nature. (He knows me.) A cloud that looked just like a crashing wave. A bald eagle in a tree near our property - that I would never have seen had I not for some peculiar reason turned completely around and looked behind me as I left our road. One day my gift came in the form of a needy woman on the other end of the church phone that I got to pray with and help. Another gift a couple weeks later was finding out she now had a place to live that was right next door to a Bible believing church she‘d already begun attending.

It was a sweet and special time for me. God was giving me gifts every day and I was basking in the joy of this new season.

Continued tomorrow.....