A Gift in the Messy Confusion
God,
You give good gifts. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17 NIV)
Sometimes, though, your gifts are confusing. I wouldn’t call them “bad,” but I would label them with the sticker-styled nametag as “hard.” There are things that show up in camouflage - not hidden in cruelty - rather, sheltered in mystery.
I suppose this is normal for gift-giving. We spend a lot of money and time working to keep gifts hidden. We hide packages, having to find a new spot every year as the kids grow older. We wrap presents, working to conceal the item so that we can guarantee optimal suspense. We even disguise expensive or fancy gifts in weirdly shaped boxes or in layers of ridiculous pranks. We want there to be mystery on the day of the unveiling. Our hope is that we have been sneaky enough, skilled enough, and secretive enough to procure the best natural and organic response as the gift is unwrapped.
But God, You do not spend time disguising gifts. You are clear about the types of gifts you give: good ones. If you, then, though you are [human], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11 NIV) Good gifts is Your mantra, Your protocol, Your expression of perfect grace.
Why then do some gifts feel ungood? Sometimes, we label things incorrectly. I know I have blamed You for things that were not Your Will or Your way. Sometimes we grab for that which is not ours to have. I know I have reached out for blessings and provisions that were not mine to have. Sometimes we force things to happen our way, under our control and with our supervision. I know that my hands and my intelligence can become a blockade as I search for my own glory.
Too often, our own humanity spoils the correct perspective of Your good gifts. Our view is jaded and jolted by our faulty expectations, our difficult circumstances, and our incomplete transformation. God, I know that there will be a day in Glory where my mind, my heart, and my emotions will all be perfectly transformed and they will finally completely align with You. Until that day, I struggle to accept all that You do because I struggle to see beyond the here and now. I get caught up in the moment, the temporary, the immediate impact.
God, help me to welcome all gifts, even the confusing ones. In that acceptance I realize that the mystery of Your good gifts is often wrapped up in timing; there will be a day where I look back and see the goodness splattered across the canvas of my life. I will see the connections made over time, the “missteps” that were actually designated movement, the closed doors that led to wider and deeper open ones, and the growth that occurred through the unwrapping and the experience of the gift.
The first Christmas was like this. Lots of good gifts wrapped up in obscurity.
The gift of Jesus through a virgin woman = confusion for Mary, Joseph, and anyone close to them, as this was scientifically impossible and had never been done before.
Marrying a woman who is carrying a baby that is not yours = confusion for Joseph as he weighed expected cultural behaviors that opposed the vision he received from the angel.
Traveling for a census in the last trimester of pregnancy = confusion about God’s timing, His provision, and His overall perceived lack of kindness to both Mary and Joseph.
Every door closed to every Bethlehem inn and home = confusion about the arrival of God’s son…was He going to be born in a Bethlehem gutter?
The birth of Christ in an animal stable = confusion about what kind of entrance this was.
The escape to Egypt = confusion about the quality of life this little family would experience from hereon.
Gifts not clearly defined at the moment. A common couple ordained to hold the greatest gift given to humankind. In this holding though, they faced the mystery. Their circumstances were hard, their humanity was overwhelming, and their questions were large. Yet, through it all, their obedience was unprecedented. Their cry was “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior (Luke 1:46-47). They had no perfect insight of what was to come, they had no premonition about the next step; their perception was just as limited and poisoned as ours. They merely kept listening to, expecting from, and following the Gift Giver.
The greatest gift given was delivered in the middle of hard circumstances. Their path had never before been walked, their place was less than relatable, their plight was confusing and, at times, dangerous. However, their God was perfect; He had planned and purposed all. Thousands of generations later, we reap the blessings of their obedience.
God, I do not always understand what is before me. The tension of my existence in the “both/and” moments can feel unbearable. I know You use it all though. Even what I mess up can be redeemed by You. All sin has been redeemed by You. All the sickness, heartache, hopelessness, and cruelty we face here on this Earth will be redeemed in Your Second Coming. I await that gift. Today, I choose to accept the gift of Your perfection, Your perspective, and Your plan. When gifts seem confusing or unclear, may I take up the attitude of praise and walk in the act of obedience.
Your gift delivery may feel confusing. When we are confused by the delivery, the timing, or the wrapping of the gift, help us to remember that first Christmas and even Your sacrificial death thirty-three years after Your birth. Sometimes the greatest gifts, the most profound blessings, are delivered in the messiness. That doesn’t take away from their superiority, if anything, it compels us to look for good gifts in the middle of our own messes.
Thank you, God, for always listening to my honesty. Help me, today, to stand on the promises of Your Word. You have not left me, You will not fail me, You see me, You know me, You hear me, and You love me. That is the very best gift ever.
AMEN.
Friend, this Christmas, this season of gift-giving, reach out and accept the good gift of salvation. Your life may be a mess, but that is prime real estate for His life-changing delivery. Reach out and accept the good gift of forgiveness. You may feel unforgivable, but there is nothing done or undone, said or unsaid that could halt His perfect grace. Reach out and accept His hope. You may be surrounded by hopelessness, but Jesus wants to enter in and unwrap holy hope in your life. We are all still waiting on the final transformation, the Second Coming, but we are not in want of His presence. Because of Christmas, Immanuel is with us, He dwells in the here and now, even if it looks a little messy or confusing.
Until next week friend,
