“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:17

Gift Gratitude

I love how real the Bible is. From a non-Christian perspective it must seem ridiculous the amount of drama God allows to be revealed. In Genesis Chapters 29-30 we see the birth of 11 boys and 1 girl. They are born to four mothers (two sisters and their maidservants) and one father. There was so much competition between the two sisters, I can’t imagine there was much peace. It amazes me this was the foundation for 11 of the 12 tribes of Israel and ultimately, the line of Christ.

Rachel was barren for many years and in Genesis 30:22-24 we read, “Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. And she conceived and bore a son, and said, ‘God has taken away my reproach.’ So she called his name Joseph, and said, ‘The LORD shall add to me another son.’”

Joseph means, “He will add.” When I read this, it broke my heart. She’s just been given a baby boy, who though she doesn’t know it, will go on to be the second in command over all of Egypt and, with guidance from the Lord, will save the known world from a terrible famine, and yet she names him “He will add.” So intense and toxic was the feud between her and her sister regarding children and the love of their mutual husband, she barely held this miraculous gift in her arms before yearning for the next one.

It reminded me of children I have seen at birthday parties or Christmas who tear through package after package, not even really taking time to see what the gift is or being grateful for it, but wanting more… and having an attitude when the packages are gone!

I thought about the times I’ve done that with the Lord—times when He answered a prayer, or, better yet, denied one that would’ve been a disaster; held me during a particularly rough season; performed miracles in my or my family’s lives—and did I take the time to savor the moment? Did I get on my knees and praise Him? Did I declare His goodness and glory for the gifts, even if life was still not going exactly the way I wanted it to go?

Many times the answer to those questions is yes, but far too often it’s no. I focused on the continuing problem, not the ray of hope given from the Father of Lights. I focused on what I can’t do any longer due to a chronic health issue, not the plethora of things I still can do, and things I have learned and gained from the journey with the condition.

“Father of Lights, thank You for Your good and perfect gifts. May we stop to savor them and show You our gratitude. Amen.”