Good Gifts
By Tiffany Thibault
If you, then, though you are evil, 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
Gifts. We give gifts to babies when they are born. Gifts for birthdays and celebrating milestones such as losing a tooth, getting a good grade, or having a no cavity dental visit. We give Easter gifts, baptism gifts, and graduation gifts. We give gifts sometimes just for fun.
Kids get excited about their birthday or Christmas and talk about it for weeks, some even making elaborate lists of the gifts that they want. They even spend hours dreaming about the gifts that would make their life perfect. My kids usually get a few of the gifts they asked for and a few surprise ones. My kids have never been disappointed in the gifts that they have asked for or receive.
This Bible verse states that we humans are evil. We are full of sin, envy, anger and a whole lot of other attitudes that the Bible considers to be evil. Yet we still have love and generosity in our hearts toward our children.
No matter what phase my kids are going through, or their attitude in the days before a gift-giving event, it doesn’t change my desire to give them a good gift. In all my years as a parent, through all of their ups and downs, I have never given them anything broken, harmful, useless or rotten. I love them and only want to give them good things.
The Bible verse says that our Father in heaven will give good gifts to those who ask him. He doesn’t have any evil intent toward you. He loves you more than you can even try to understand. He loves to give good gifts to you! In your life right now, the good things that are happening, those are from him. Have you thanked him for them? How is your prayer life? Are your prayers full of thanksgiving and adoration or are they just supplication? He desires relationship with you just as much as he desires to bless you with good things.
When I take my kids to the grocery store, they never ask for me to buy them fish, broccoli or spinach. Instead, they ask for candy, ice cream and cookies. As a parent I do not give them these items because I know that it isn’t good for them, it will hurt them long-term. So I replace their sugary treats with healthier options. Our loving Father might also be giving you what you need instead of what you asked for because He knows what is best for you. Can you trust Him to do things in His way because He truly loves you?
I love that this Bible verse uses the word Father instead of the more formal God or Lord. It shows us that God truly cares for us as his children. He hears your prayers, he knows your longings. He wants to give you good gifts. He loves you.
If my daughter asked for a new phone every year, I wouldn’t give it to her. She needs to learn to wait or work for it. If she asked for a car at the age of nine, I wouldn’t give it to her. She needs to wait until she is more mature. If she asked to go swimming when the pool water was freezing, I wouldn’t let her. She needs to wait for her safety. My only desire is to show her love.
Perhaps we ask for things that God knows will keep us from him, or might harm us. We can’t see the whole picture of our circumstances, but God can. Perhaps God is making you wait because He loves you so much. Can you thank him during the waiting? Can you go into today, trusting Him for the things that you cannot see?
God is lovingly working out details in your life that you cannot see. Wait for it to be unwrapped and revealed in His perfect time. It will be perfect and it will definitely be the best gift ever!
Tiffany Thibault enjoys living life with her husband, two daughters and one very large dog in San Diego. She not only homeschools her girls, but she also loves to write about Jesus and speak about Him to groups of women. She loves long walks, coffee and anything chocolate.
Looking for authentic conversations about how to deal with body image, insecurity, and comparison issues as a Christian woman? The Compared to Who? Podcast is the show for you! Twice a week, we tackle tough topics like dieting, disordered eating, weight loss, aging, body dysmorphia, and more from a practical, grace-filled, gospel-centered perspective.
Originally published Friday, 27 January 2023.
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