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UNWRAP YOUR GIFT
Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one
another with whatever gifts each of you has received.
We just celebrated a fourth
birthday at our house. It was endearing to watch Naaman
carefully select a wrapped gift and slowly pull at each piece of
tape, gradually unveiling its contents. He savored each moment
of his special day!
On Isaac's last birthday,
it was quite the opposite experience. It was a tornado of gift
wrap and ribbon. No careful inspection from this whirlwind of a
boy - just ripping and throwing and frantic searching for the
next gift to be torn open. There is no time to waste when a gift
is waiting!
If you've met Eden, you can
guess what her birthday looks like. First, she sorts her gifts
by color. Next, she lines them up according to size. Finally,
she digs in, pausing between each box to sincerely thank the
giver with a hug, gushing with thankfulness.
1 Peter reminds us that God
gives each of us a special gift. Where are your gifts hiding?
Are they tangled in a complicated ribbon of life? Folded in a
dark box? Shoved behind the bigger, shinier packages?
As we enter adulthood, we
somehow buy the idea that in order to do something, we have to
have a piece of paper that validates our skills. Without a
resume or proof of success, we shy away, holding our gifts for
ransom.
You are a gift to the
world! God filled you to the brim with instincts for love, time
to share, natural abilities to serve, talents to teach,
encourage, speak, lead and give.
Unwrap your gift! Allow God
to peel back the tape on an idea, rip the wrapping from a talent
and shake up a skill. We are sent to serve each other and the
world with our gifts.
God , grant me the
courage to unwrap my gifts for the world. Amen.
Tera Michelson
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