Special Gifts: Wednesday in the Word

We’ve all received special gifts that we treasure, but I’m sure we’ve also received some that we weren’t quite sure what to do with them. Maybe they even left us wondering why the giver chose that gift for us. I received one of those from my husband back when we were dating.

His pride over such a great find was evident as I opened the little ceramic faced clown. It was one of those dolls where the body is bendable and clothed, this one in shiny, colorful clown wear. The face, however, is ceramic. And this one was particularly clown-like. That is not a compliment.

Though I’ve never liked clowns and actually kind of find most of them creepy, I kept this gift displayed. Andy thought he’d bought me one of those special gifts I would treasure for a lifetime. Not even close. Eventually I asked him what prompted this gift. He told me because of the ceramic masks I displayed on my wall, he thought I would enjoy clowns. The masks he referenced were comedy and tragedy masks that reminded me of my involvement with my high school’s theater group. They were definitely not a clue into a secret love for clowns.

Gifts that miss the mark happen. Re-gifting does too. Though it is a dangerous game to play. Like Andy, the person who gave the gift probably thought they were giving you something you’d love for years to come. Any time I’ve thought of re-gifting something, the image of the original giver finding out their special gift was given to another stops me. I would be disappointed to know a gift I put so much thought into was given to another. I don’t want to cause that in another.

Sometimes we treat God’s special gifts to us as if they were gift-giving mistakes. We don’t understand why God gave us this gift instead of that one. The one the person across the aisle got is much better than ours. We put our gift on a shelf in the back of our spiritual closet and let it collect dust. Maybe the gift seems too small or feels like it creates more work for us. Whatever the reason, we neglect the gift.

We fail to realize God specially picks His gifts to us, and God is not like our friends. He knows us more intimately than we know ourselves. God created us and gave us our talents, passions, and personalities. He knows what each day is going to bring, and He knows what gifts will allow us to best serve others in His love. God never has to wonder what gift would be best. He knows. He never gives a gift He doesn’t want used. And He never gives a gift that belongs to someone else.

God always gives the most special gifts, and He means for them to be used to serve those around us. In sharing (not re-gifting) God’s gifts with those around us, we show them His love. Using our gifts as He guides us to will bring encouragement to those around us. They can help strengthen others for difficult situations. And they can teach others to walk a little closer to God than they were before.

Have you ever thought God gave you the wrong gift? Have you ever thought another’s gift was more special or useful than yours? I have. But now I thank God for the special gifts He’s given me and ask Him how He wants me to use them to show His love to others.