“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
James 1:17 (KJV) from BibleGateway.com
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. I’ve written before how I love this time of year.
Takers and Givers
This holiday weekend, I’ve read about flash mob robberies. It is where a group of thieves organize themselves to rob a store. The number of criminals overwhelms store employees so that they get away with the goods through brute force. As a result, thieves take what does not belong to them There is nothing good about taking what doesn’t belong to you.
You can’t take a gift. No one can take what is already given. When a gift-giver gives something with no strings attached, it is a sign of goodwill and generosity. A gift isn’t earned. It cannot be taken. It is frequently a sign of affection and love.
No Strings Attached
I have witnessed love through generosity and affection this weekend. And I will witness it today as I go to church and get ready to teach elementary kids about how contentment can prepare our hearts to be generous no matter how rich or poor they are. We will say, “You can always use what you have to help someone else.”
Good and perfect gifts come with no strings attached. There is no emotional baggage or terms. Advent reminds me that a good and perfect gift is coming. It will change the world forever. While it’s true the world can still be a dark place, there is hope in a good and perfect gift.
May the light of this season illuminate our hearts as we realize we can be the recipients, and perhaps the patron, of good and perfect gifts.
“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”
Isaiah 9:2 (KJV) via Bible Gateway
