Gift: A Notable Capacity

“Everything in life is most fundamentally a gift. And you receive it best, and you live it best,

by holding it with very open hands.” (Leo O’Donovan)

“I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.

God does it so that men will revere him.” (Ecclesiastes 3:9-14 NIV)

Gift is a big word this time of year. What gift do you want for Christmas, we ask our loved ones? Sometimes I hint at what gift I’d like. Gifts are good. They express our love and concern and creativity.

We are born with a notable capacity for living. This is gift.

Today I was contemplating the difference between accepting gifts and demanding them. I want health. I want rest. I want blessing. But am I willing to settle for none of these. I am willing to embrace God alone. This is hard. I am needy. I like material things. I enjoy food. I desire appreciation and companionship. But if all these were taken away, would I still think my life was a gift?

What is the notable capacity of life? To love, this is the burden God has laid on us. To love is to give. This is indeed one of the hardest things God asks of us, of me. Will I love this Christmas? How can I rest in His love and know it is enough? These are the questions I am asking today.