All the blessings in my life are gifts from God. They were not handed
down to me by some imaginary elite class of ancestors. Everything good and
perfect in my life is only there because God ordained and orchestrated it.
“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 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 1:16-17 NIV
Every good and perfect gift — each one was a gift from the Giver. I was
entitled to none of the gifts. We’ve all been given gifts, but none of us were
gifted identically.
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”
- Romans 12:6a NIV
Many of us have common gifts. We all have received the gift of life and
breath. Most of us have received the gifts of sight and hearing. Each
individual has been offered the gift of eternal life, but not everyone has
received that gift. In this we see that we can reject, or ignore a gift. And
sometimes we can be ignorant that the gift has even been offered.
We have not all been given the same gifts. Only a little over 4% of the
world population was born in the United States. Only six of every ten U.S.
citizens are non-Hispanic, non-Latino, whites. On average, out of 2048
individual U.S. citizens, 1048 will be male. Counting these three gifts alone,
I belong to the 1.2% subset of white male U.S. citizens in the world.
When you add to this the various facts that: I was born in Ohio, raised
in Michigan, live in Indiana, and had a father who was a tool and die maker for
GM - I belong to a fraction of a percent of the global population. And I’ve not
counted the gifts of education, income level, family structure, religion,
denomination, congregation, and blood type.
A person with all of the same gifts that I’ve been given falls into a
very, very small micro-fraction of the world population. And if I believe
scripture, every one of those gifts were given to me by God.
Because these are gifts from God, I shouldn’t feel guilty for my
male-ness or my white-ness. I can’t apologize for being a U.S. citizen, because
if I did I would be saying - in effect - God was wrong. Each of these “good
gifts” were given by Him and for His glory. And each one has special value.
I will never know the joy of giving birth to another life. Only women,
and not even all women, have been given this gift. No matter how deeply I
desire this gift, I have not been wronged if I haven’t been blessed with it.
I have not received the gift of being born into a large Italian family.
I will never experience the food, and fun, and heritage that would come with a
gift like that. But I have not been deprived of those things. Those are gifts
that belong to another and, if I have a problem with that, I have a problem
with the Giver of those gifts not the one receiving them.
Yes, I have been blessed with many gifts that are valued very highly in
our society. But I will not disown or disrespect those gifts simply because
others think it’s unfair.
The modern pastime of renaming gifts as privileges overlooks a significant
truth. Gifts come with responsibilities.
God has given me good gifts and it is my responsibility to steward
those gifts, and to leverage those gifts for His purposes. I will be held
accountable for how I use the gifts I’ve been given.
“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and
from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” - Luke 12:48b
ESV
Some have squandered their gifts, and others have misused their gifts
resulting in horrible, sometimes unthinkable, consequences. But that doesn’t
mean the gifts were bad, or inappropriate. Every good and perfect gift comes
from God, but what we do with them can turn them very dark, or simply
ineffective.
Each person reading these words, and every person you meet today, has
been given gifts. Some of your gifts are identical to the gifts I’ve received.
Many of your gifts are different from mine, and some are unique only to you.
I am thankful to the Giver of every good and perfect gift, and I will
not apologize or feel guilty for what He has given me. I choose to be grateful
and the depth of my gratitude reinforces my desire to steward those gifts well.
During this season of thankfulness, do not discard, disown, or distance
yourself from the good gifts you’ve been given. Do not feel guilty, or
apologize, for the many ways you’ve been blessed. And do not neglect your
responsibility to steward those gifts and blessings well. God gave you those
gifts and blessings. Celebrate each one and do nothing to insult, or break the
heart of, the One who gave them to you.
Yes, I have been blessed! I will forever be grateful – guilt-free and
unapologetically. What will you do with your blessings? Will you gratefully embrace
them without apology? Or will you play the game, feel the guilt, and insult the
Giver?
The choice is yours. Choose well.
You can find me on FACEBOOK at my Facebook Page (http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=504321719). Here's a link to my Flickr.com Page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisferrell/) Thanks for reading!
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