A friend dropped off the most delicious croissant sourdough bread I’ve tasted on the planet this week. I told her I would pay for it; but she told me no, it was a gift.
I begrudgingly accepted, as she swore that if I paid for it, she’d give the money back one way or another. I love gifting people, but why did I have such a hard time accepting gifts?
As I was scrubbing dishes—and in between dishes, stuffing the third slice of bread with ridiculous amounts of butter—I asked the Lord why it bothered me to accept a kind act from someone else. Why did I love blessing others similarly with coffee, dinner dates, and texts of encouragement? Why was it okay for me to do it for others and feel they deserved it, but not myself?
And then I heard the words…
“You feel that you didn’t earn the gift. But that’s the exact point of a gift…you didn’t earn it.”
Gifts are an added blessing. I was reminded of the Scripture in the Bible about how salvation in Christ is a gift, one no one could brag or boast about, because it is completely undeserved and unearned by worldly standards.
The LORD gives us good things not because we earned them or deserved them, but because He loves us. He creates and assigns purpose to people, allowing them to be vessels to bless others. It could be a friend giving a loaf of sourdough, having a walking buddy, or someone sharing a smile at the store. It could be someone going the extra mile by putting the grocery cart away or bringing cookies down the street.
The creative side of giving is vast and wide—notes, words of affirmation, texted prayers, the list goes on. A hug. A dessert. Paying for the coffee of the person in front of you. Blessing the waitress with extra generosity.
The truth is, receiving gifts actually takes work and effort. We have to choose to allow the blessing. We have to choose to let the love come into our hearts. We have to choose to allow the LORD to tell us we are worthy in His eyes.
You deserve gifts and being doted on not because of anything you did, but because of how great an act of generosity it was, one that went from glory to glory, that He wanted you to have salvation and then more. Even a delicious meal of sourdough bread, because He knew it would make you smile.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8–9
Rachel Redlin is a columnist, author, journalist, and award-winning radio host. She lives in Northwest Kansas with her husband and five children, where she writes about faith, food, and the simple everyday life. Want to read more or contact us? You can subscribe to the FREE newsletter at www.simplybloominggrace.com
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