Young in my faith, I remember a sermon talking about how everything we have is a gift. It changed the way I looked at things, and to this day, I see God’s hand in everything. Let’s take my writing, for example. God has given me a gift with words and the ability to put them down on paper, so to say since we use computers now. He gifted me with a talent that I use every day. I personally try to use it for His good, but even if I didn’t, it is still His gift to me.
I’ve mentioned before how musical and singing talents are gifts. People can use them to bring peace and harmony or to divide us with hateful lyrics. In either case, they still have a gift from God. They can acknowledge or ignore it, and the gift remains. Our free will gives us a choice.
I spend time in nature every day, and I can’t look at the beautiful world we live in without thanking God for the gift of our planet. It didn’t have to be so incredible. In fact, it could have just been functional and provided the bare essentials for us. Instead, it is a magnificent place full of wonder for us to enjoy. It didn’t have to be so colorful. Black and white would have done the job, but no, God infused a rainbow of spectacular colors in everything. God gifted it to us out of His love for every one of us.
Our mind, body, and spirit are gifts that allow us to walk the journey He has given us. We can protect and nourish these gifts, or we can abuse them. Once again, it is up to us, and I believe if we viewed them more as gifts than entitled features, we might just take greater care of them. Think about an expensive item you purchased, like a house or car. You don’t trash it and destroy it; no, you do what is necessary to keep its value.
Our bodies need physical activity and good nutrition to run properly. We honor the gift of God’s temples by being a healthy weight and moving. Our minds are a reflection of what we expose it to, so we need to be careful what we allow in. Our minds also require restorative sleep to recharge and renew. Often times, our mental state will impact our ability to care for our bodies. Where the mind goes, the body follows.
Connecting both together are our spirits, and it is here we find God. He resides in us through the Holy Spirit, and we must stay close to Him in order to fuel our spirits with His passion, purpose and love. When we understand everything is a gift and have carefully managed our gifts, we can face the tougher side of life from a stronger position.
Think about it. If you look at obstacles and challenges as gifts, you stop focusing on the pain of the moment and set your eyes upon the lesson to learn…the growth that will come from it. I do believe good things come from all circumstances, so they can be gifts if we let them.
I’ve lost loved ones, and it hurts something fierce. I may not see the gift at the moment because I am grieving, but I always come around to see God’s hand in loss. As a person who has experienced more than my fair share of loss, I can attest that I have gained much more through the loss than average, ordinary days.
What gifts has God given you? Have you made a list lately to remind you? I encourage you to do so, especially if you find yourself in a valley of despair. Nothing shakes the pity party off of you quicker than listing out all the blessings!
Each day, take some time to see the gifts around you. From the air we breathe to the blue sky above us to our furry friends we consider family, look at the gifts we live with. They aren’t because we deserve it and have been so incredibly good. No, they are simply gifts out of unconditional love from our Heavenly Father. I don’t know about you, but that makes me one incredibly grateful person to know He loves me THAT much. A gift I know you have…His love for you. Will you accept it? Will you acknowledge it? The choice is yours.
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