Out of all of the derogatory names that I have been called during my lifetime, there are two that have seemed to rip me to my very core. I can’t believe that such harsh words were able to come out of someone’s mouth. While I don’t consider myself to be the sensitive type, I honestly almost cried when being referred to with such distaste. Therefore, no matter how much I try, I can’t forget the moment when someone first called me…cheap and a bad gift giver. Me, cheap? Frugal maybe, but cheap is so harsh. And to say that I am a bad gift giver is completely unacceptable. Sure, with me, you may not always get what you want, but that doesn’t necessarily qualify me as a bad gift giver. Okay, yes, I used to give bad gifts to my Dad for Father’s Day; but who didn’t?
For much of my life, I have always tried to pay attention to the needs of those that I care about. If you were running low on socks, most likely you would get socks as a gift. Or, if I noticed that you never had enough silverware in your house, you may receive a box of plastic forks wrapped in Christmas gift paper. Not to mention, the many times that I have given someone underwear, as I have taken a more practical approach to my gift giving. Besides, who doesn’t need new underwear?
However, what I have noticed is that while I often thought that I was doing a good deed in providing gifts of necessity, my gifts’ recipients were regularly left disappointed as my acts of kindness failed to meet the expectations of their desires. And after being given the undeserving title as ‘Bad Gift Giver’, it finally hit me. Many of us would rather be pacified with gifts that meet our desires instead of those that meet our needs. Okay Chris, what is your point?
This is my point: If meeting the needs of my loved ones has earned me a negative reputation as a gift giver, what do we truly think of the gifts that God has given us. Day in and day out, we recite prayers with the intention of letting God know the desires of our heart. “Lord, please bless me with…that new job…that new car…that man,” we recite as we prayerfully request our personal wish list. Let God know the desires of your heart, we often say, only to show a complete disregard for the relationship with the One that we call Lord.
We have become so focused on getting our wants met that we completely ignore the best gifts—gifts of necessity. Yes, I would love a nice big house. But, I thank God for that one bedroom apartment that He has blessed me with. I would probably benefit greatly from that nice high paying job. However, I am extremely appreciative of the job that I do have as it allows me to have a positive impact on many lives. Yes, I would probably like to be with that man. But I am grateful, Lord for my health, strength, and the opportunity now that I have to focus on you. I thank you for providing my needs. I thank you Lord for knowing that my wants may cause me to direct my attention away from you. I thank you Lord for being such a great gift giver as you often bless me with the things of necessity as opposed to those desires of my heart. But most of all, I thank you for giving me the gift of salvation—the best necessity gift of all. Thank you.
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