A Gift From the Heart~

A rainy, post-Christmas day greeting to all:)

I trust you all had a lovely day yesterday.  Today's DEVO might have come in handy, but I couldn't find the time to write it.  Then it occurred to me that Christmas time isn't the only time to give gifts.

Joni Tada, one of my faith heroes, wrote something earlier this week that once again struck a chord and a nerve and my conscience. 

For those of you unfamiliar with her, over 40 years ago she was in an accident as a teenager that left her paralyzed from the shoulders down.  God opened a door for her to minister to disabled people, and she has reached out to MILLIONS.  Therefore, when she speaks on the topics of suffering, contentment, faith, fear, you name it, it is so profoundly credible that it always stirs my soul.  

She writes:

"Every Christmas I think about what it was like to be on my feet during the holidays.  There were parties and plays, decorating, hitting the malls.  Then came my accident.  That Christmas I spent at a rehab center.  Adding to the hurt I was already feeling was that I couldn't but gifts for anyone.  The way I saw it, God was asking too much of me. The use of my body was taken away at Christmas time, but also the joy of giving.  On the afternoon of Christmas Eve I felt like a martyr.

"But Christmas morning my heart softened...as I focused on Christmas's meaning, I realized the best gift I could give was myself.  My mom didn't want a new dress; she wanted to see me smile.  My dad didn't need a new bridle for his horse; he needed to see me laugh.  My sister didn't need another sweater; she needed to see my grab hold of hope."

Joni's point, and it's a great one, is that there are some gifts we can't buy, but they are extremely valuable because they are "gifts from the heart."

Maybe you've been grumpy lately and everyone in your family knows it.  Maybe you've been self-absorbed and your spouse feels it.  Maybe you're dealing with a big problem and haven't smiled a lot lately.  Joni is not saying we don't have good reasons to feel these ways sometimes, but she is saying that everyone can benefit from a gift from the heart--especially those closest to you.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I already know who could benefit the most from a gift from my heart. I already know who would love to see me enjoy life and smile.  Give me the strength to follow through.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Pay it Forward~

Every once in a while I receive a surprise blessing.  Today I will share with you what someone shared with me yesterday in the late afternoon. 

 

A colleague came in to say that while at a restaurant with his family--a party of nine total--a complete stranger came up to him, told him he had a beautiful family, and that he was going to pay the $500+ dinner tab.  The generous stranger simply said, "Pay it forward."

 

I love the idea that my colleague came up with.  He instructed each of his kids to think about a good cause they could donate to in honor of the kind gesture they all received.  I will keep you posted as they have a week to think it over.

 

This concept of "pay it forward" is actually biblical.

 

2 Corinthians 1:4-5 (The Message) "He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us."

 

One of the purposes for that inexplicable difficulty you went through was so that you could share the comfort you received in the middle of it.  

 

Think about a time you were going through some struggles. Think about how God brought you out of it.  Then be willing to pay it forward.  The world can not work if we never give.  If you never made a phone call, or visited someone who was ill, or wrote a little note of encouragement, or sent flowers, or invited someone to the movies, or prayed for someone, or even made an anonymous cash donation, you would miss out on a blessing and so would someone else.

 

Where would you be today if no one had ever reached out to you?  I just might still be holed up in a corner somewhere feeling miserable and scratching my ankles.  You get the idea.  Glory!

 

PRAYER:

Dear Lord,

We are grateful for the times others have comforted us; they were sent by You to really make a difference in our lives.  We are committed to doing the same for others.  Thank You that You will bring the right people our way; we will pay it forward.  In Jesus, name, AMEN~