God is a good giver. Our Father is the ultimate example of The One who gives and gives and gives. All of creation was breathed into existence with such precision so as to create the exact environment that we need to even exist. And so life itself is a precious gift. The air He made to fill the lungs He designed. The water that sustains. The food that nourishes. All gifts given by our God who is a really good giver.
God also gives Good. The things He gives are only Good. Creation. Salvation. His Church. Hope. Second chances. Peace. Love. Purpose. People. In fact, the only things He withholds from us are things we would all consider really bad – His wrath and judgment and justice and punishment. And even in those things, and because He is such a good giver of Good things, He made a way around all of the things we truly deserve and He has given us the Goodness of His Son for our salvation. He gives Good.
The challenge, though, comes when we turn the good gifts into little g gods. We mismanage and misuse and abuse our time. We tend to worship the people who are really good at what they do. We are drawn to idolize stuff – homes, cars, clothes, jobs, comfort, toys – and the dollar bills that provide them for us. We are tempted to trivialize relationships and exploit them for our benefit, turning people into a product. These goods have been misused, abused, and damaged by so many for so long.
But what if we didn’t? What if we did it differently?
What if we held the good gifts our good God has given us loosely? With wide open hands and a heart that chooses to worship our good God WITH the good gifts He’s given us?
What if we began to realize that God doesn’t so much want things FROM us as much as He wants things FOR us?
God desires His good gifts to be used for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. And it should start here.
