I have a drawer in my office full of gifts. A bounty of ready-to-go treats for any occasion just waiting for the right recipient. Pens and lotions and cute knick-knacks standing at the ready for the moment they are chosen for a new home. Now for the honest part. I was the first new home for many of those treasures. That’s right. I’m getting the truth out in the open. I am a regifter.
I am someone that accepts something and then gives it to someone else. Not all the time, but occasionally, I will get something adorable that I either do not have room for or already own or may never use. I love my people and the fact that they went out of their way to choose something for me is a gift in itself—and not one I take lightly. I cherish everything I have ever been given but life and storage do not always allow me to cherish it forever. In my mind, the next best option is to give these gifts to someone who can love it completely.
It is a hard admission and one that comes with so much fear of hurt feelings. It is hard to talk out loud about something so unpopular. This morning, as I studied his words, it hit me that he also is a gift giver that would not be super thrilled about us giving what we were given away.
He gave us the ultimate gift. He sacrificed everything to give it by dying on a cross. And some days I apparently think that I have the power or authority to give that gift to someone else through all my hard work and sacrifice. Come and see how much I serve and how hard I work. I give you the gift of my time, my money, my skills. See how I sacrifice so you can know Jesus? Don’t you want me to give you this gift that I have gotten?
Boy howdy. I sure am proud of myself. But he never asked me to be a regifter.
He asked me only to proclaim about the gift I have been given. It is not my job to stuff it in a gift bag and wrap it with a bow and hand this blessing off to the next person. I am to hold on to this glorious treasure, cherish it, and tell everyone. He doesn’t need me to do his job for him, only tell others what he did for me. Not store it away waiting for that perfect moment or perfect person to receive it. That’s not my call. It is his.
Ouch.
I will admit it. I try to regift my faith all the time. And it is time I stop. I need to hold tight and firm to the sacrifice made for me and stop trying to show everyone what a great gift giver I am. I am not the giver of this gift. Today I will be a grateful recipient and put my light on a hill for all to see. I am going to show off this present and tell everyone how I got it. Jesus doesn’t want my second-hand presents. He just wants my presence with him.
Dear Lord, I know that you have not made this complicated. I am the one that complicates it. You have given me a beautiful story to tell and I ask you to help me tell it with the words you would have me use. Lead me Lord word by word.
