Receive Gifts

I love gifts. Almost any kind of gift makes me feel good. Even if it is something I’ll never use (and maybe just throw) I appreciate the gesture of a gift. And, as we know, a gift is really only a gift when it’s received. Christmas presents left under the tree aren’t really gifts until they’re picked up, opened and received. That’s when it becomes a gift.
And that’s a great image for what it means to accept Jesus Christ, too. I’ve used that illustration several times to show that God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus simply needs to be received in order to restore that relationship with God. Just like a true Christmas gift, we don’t earn it to get it, it’s free. No behavior, no action, no outward expression on our part can save us. It is all through receiving that gift from God through faith.
But this image of receiving gifts is also something that illustrates human relationships, too. All of our gifts – wealth, talents, competence or just beauty – are not ever recognized as a true gift until someone is open to receiving them. What I mean is that we all have things we can do. Some of us are exception at a certain thing, while others of us can do things just well. But no matter what, we all have something to offer to those around us, and can be used to honor God. And sometimes those gifts, talents and abilities don’t get utilized as much as they should because we don’t put them into practice. Other times, though, those things aren’t recognized and received by others and so we get frustrated and don’t continue to use them.
So, as Henri Nouwen writes, “this all suggests that if we want others to grow – that is, to discover their potential and capacities, to experience that they have something to live and work for – we should first of all be able to recognized their gifts and willingly receive them.” And I think that there is great power in that, especially maybe as we look at kids and youth. But even adults who don’t feel worthwhile or adequate may just not have the assurance that someone has received their gift.
And so, as I look at our community and see people who are sitting on the fringes of participating with us, maybe it’s because no one has ever received their gift. We haven’t accepted what they have to offer because it might look different than we expect or what we usually desire. Maybe their way of doing something, their expression of talent or ability, doesn’t fall into our normal standards. But that doesn’t mean we can’t receive it, right?
So, my prayer is, for our community to become stronger, we look to receive all gifts and abilities from those around us and help them grow. God bless.