Wednesday, February 21, 2018


Gift or Giver
By Peggy Kleckner

“He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all-how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”

The Christmas season always seems to bring reflection of previous Christmas seasons. I found myself smiling the other day as I recalled one particular gift opening at a family gathering.

Two of our sons were in their teens and each had received a gift from their aunt and uncle. One opened the gift and found a tootsie roll bank. Out of obligation and good manners, he graciously thanked them for the gift and laid it aside. The other son opened his gift, found a tootsie roll bank and knowing the character of this aunt and uncle proceeded to open the bank, dump out the candy and found in the midst a gift card… the true gift. He found the treasure hidden. He knew to look because he knew who had given him the gift.

Though the second son at first offered to take the bank from his brother, he did eventually tell him to look past the appearance of the gift and dump out its contents!

How did one know to look beyond what he saw on the outside? He simply refused to believe that the giver would give so little because in the past they had given much more. He wasn’t going to believe that there wasn’t more until he poured it all out and searched it all completely.

Sometimes life looks difficult and my way seems strewn with hardship or pain, as if nothing good could possibly be in it. In those times, I try and remember this lesson. I am willing to search it for the good that the Giver of all good gifts has tucked away in it. I look for the hidden treasure because I have come to know and trust God’s character.

Too often, we settle for so much less because we won’t look past what we see with our physical eyes. We won’t believe bigger and dig deeper. We trust our eyes and not His heart.

GOING DEEPER:
1. Where are you settling for less than all He wants to give you because you won’t go back and dump out the contents of your life and look for the true gift?
2. Who do you need to tell about the hidden treasure you have already found?

FURTHER READING:

Peggy is a wife and mother of four adult children - - two sons and two stepsons, and is an active encourager at Oakwood Church in Delafield.