Parson to person: the perfect gift of love

Every one of us has had the experience of receiving a gift that is given to us with words of love. The gift giver usually says something like, ?I knew this would be the perfect gift for you.? Yet, when we finally get the thing unwrapped, we can?t help but wonder why they thought this hideous gift was so perfectly suited for us; and begin to determine how soon can it can be unloaded at the next church rummage sale.

In the above example, it is unsettling to realize that someone who thought they knew us so well didn?t really know us at all, considering the gift they thought was just right for us. And yet, we can easily make the same mistake, and sometimes we make it with God.

For those of us who proclaim that we have a loving personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, we are indeed blessed by the gifts we have been given through God?s grace. However, we can also make the mistake of assuming that we know God so well, that we also know what is just right in God?s thinking and how God will mend the brokenness and worries of our life. Yet, God does have a will and plan for the world and for our lives.

We cannot assume to know God?s timing, or the way in which God heals. We can only assume God?s love and forgiveness through the grace given to us through the cross and resurrection. The mysteries of God are countless, and so are God?s gifts. We will never truly understand them until we reach the gates of Heaven.

But, with continued study of God?s Word through Holy Scripture and our willingness to be steadfast in prayer, we can begin to trust God more and more and realize that God is always at our side. In learning to trust God through study and prayer, we can allow ourselves to listen to God?s leading us through the Holy Spirit. Through prayer and study, we can begin to find a gentle living stream of peace, and also begin to discern the steps we can take next. We are called by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to respond to God?s guidance and prompting as servants one to another.

Let us continue to praise God for his loving-kindness and mercy which he offers us through the perfect gift of love for us, a gift we can give back to God through loving him and loving our neighbor.