Accepting the Gift

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Our daughter is four and no matter what her day is about, no matter what you might be talking about, she is going to bring it back to one thing: her birthday. She started planning her fifth birthday on her literal fourth birthday. She loves all aspects of the birthdays, especially receiving presents.

This year I've read a lot about the poverty spirit. In Bible study at the Y we're reading Superatural Ways of Royalty: Discovering Your Rights and Privileges of Being a Son or Daughter of God by Kris Valloton and Bill Johnson. On my personal blog I share my thoughts Mondays on Joy Chickonoski's Becoming Lovers: The Journey from Disciple of Christ to Bride of Christ. In essence, I'm reading and believing that the poverty is a lifestyle that robs you or God's best. It works in false humility. God wants to bless His people. Does it mean we should all pray for a new Lexus or second home in the Hamptons? No, but this book showed me I've been living in poverty.

I'm rejecting gifts.

When I reject gifts, I'm ultimately rejecting the Giver.

I'll be transparent enough to share that my lack of accepting good things went as deep as regifting. It wasn't because I owed someone else a gift and had that one on hand, it was more that I would receive such nice things I felt uncomfortable receiving them. I felt unworthy. I treated beautiful things that were given with love as a hot potato. I couldn't get rid of them fast enough.

The truth is, I am unworthy, we all are. What we forget is grace took care of that on the Cross. When we get a promotion, when someone gives us something, when we have the opportunity to do, see and experience things that are a result of God's blessing, it's okay to receive. In fact, embrace the gift.

Too often we view God as a task master who withholds. That's what the devil (I prefer to call him the defeated one) would like you to believe. Your Heavenly Father wants you to feel like a princess because you are His and He loves you. He wants to love on you and lavish on you in many ways. And for me, some of those ways He loves on me is through others.

I believe we are entering a season where the prayers we've prayed for a long time are about to come to pass. I think we are going to see loved ones enter into a relationship of faith in Christ that we wondered if it would ever take place, there will be healings, returns of prodigals, a complete turn around in thinking and choices among the hurting, and an abundant time of blessings and provision that will go against every news report you read.

I don't want to miss out on that by passing any gifts that have my name on to someone else. It's time I seize the blessings God is giving. I may not turn into my daughter with a list a mile long of what she'd like, but I should take a cue from her when I do receive something--whether a tangible gift or an experience God designed just for me.

I should say thank you.

And accept it.

No re gifting!

Julie Arduini is a surrendered writer with her own blog, http://thesurrenderedscribe.blogspot.com/. A graduate of the Christian Writers Guild, she blogs for the Christian Writers Forum Sundays as the mommy blogger and is the Forum's book club facilitator. She is active with FaithWriters and has several writings ready to publish in different books and anthologies in 2008-09. Julie was chosen as the March 2008 FaithReaders.com author of the month. To get to know her better, read her interview by Linda Schab at: http://www.faithreaders.com/featured-author-details.php?id=33%20To contact Julie, please contact her at the e mail address provided in the profile. It's her birthday today and she plans to enjoy the day!