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Praising The Giver, Not The Gifts
Author : NORMA KLINGLER
Praising the Giver, not the gifts.
“A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.” John 3:27
Have you ever given something to someone, only to find out they gave it to someone else?
Have you ever given something valuable (to you) to an adult, only to find it in the kids toy box?
Have you ever given something and never heard if the gift pleased the person you gave it to?
Have you ever given something and you feel like this gift was not good enough to whom you gave it to?
Have you ever given something to someone, and this person got angry at you because you had already given that gift to him/her before?
Have you ever given of your time to build a relationship only to find the person did not care for your friendship?
Do any of these things make you sad or mad?
All the above are realities in regards to gifts given. They are related to the degree of usefulness we find in the gift, and sometimes in our lack of appreciation for the giver of the gift.
In regards to gifts, these mean that someone went out of their way, to spend his/her money whether little or much to get you something, with which they hoped to please you. These are, therefore, worthy of appreciation, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant.
There should never be a time when we look down at things given with disdain, and/or discard them because they are rendered meaningless. It is true that some gifts are useless to us...We do not find the use for this particular item, it is too small, too big, the wrong color, etc.
Does this mean the gift is meaningless? Not so, they were given as an expression of love/caring, and should be properly acknowledged, because all gifts ultimately came from God. We should acknowledge them even if we later on, take it to the Salvation Army, or pass it on to someone else who could get some use out of it.
Gifts come and go, but the relationship with the person who went out of the way to show care, should mean much more than the gift he/she gave us.
Does this mean we stop giving gifts? If we take offense that someone did not acknowledge our gift, what we are really saying is that God did not have any part in it. What we are doing is that we are taking all the credit for the ability to give. What we are saying is that we are putting conditions for giving. What we are saying is that we put conditions on love.
Also, the measure of how much we are loved is not set on how good, exciting, or expensive are the gifts we receive, but in the perceived love/caring from the person who gave the gift, gifts set aside. So, it isn ' t about the gifts, but about the people who give us the gifts. If you do not care for the person, do say so, so they do not keep sending you unwanted gifts.
What do you think is the underlining reason people fail to acknowledge gifts?
It is true that in some cultures giving thanks for a gift given is not shown by a thank you note, but in giving back. At the foundation, the ungrateful heart however, comes from his/her attitude to God ultimately. This may be because the person does not understand that the underlying motivator for giving is love/caring... Unless we understand that giving is also motivated by God, we may never comprehend that He is the ultimately the GIVER of all things we have or receive.
GOD is the giver of all things; the gifts, money, jobs, intelligence, creativity, talents, and everything that makes us who we are. He also is the One responsible for all we are given in terms of family and friendships.
If we believe that we are successful because of our creativity, prowess, or intelligence without ever thanking God for placing those talents in us, what we are doing, in fact, is robbing God of His glory. Our successes have a foundation: His work in us, and not just our efforts; we must acknowledge Him, rather than taking all the glory to ourselves.
Then, there is the misuse of God’s gifts to abuse drugs/liquor, gamble, to abuse and neglect our families, to be lazy at work, and at home, and to never use our talents to serve others like we are called to do.
What is the best attitude in regards to tangible gifts? Acknowledge the Giver, by giving.....something back...It can start with a little prayer of thanks to God, and asking Him to bless the person who gave you the gift, followed by a thank you note to the person who gave you the gift.
What is the best attitude in regards to talents? Acknowledge the Giver for your talents, by giving...something back...Use it ALSO to serve others out of a grateful heart.
The world God created is also a platform for service. It isn’t about you.....It is all about God.
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