The Perfect Gift

One of the things I try to copy from Jonathan is his panache for gift giving. He's so good at thinking of who most needs a gift--and is gifted at finding just the right gift. Our suitcases leaving and returning to Nicaragua have been full of gifts for people on both ends of the trip. As we were packing to leave Nicaragua he stopped me to ask, "Did you mean to put these in?" as he held up a sack of beans and a container of dish soap. Lots of people might not have recognized these perfect gifts.

The beans were for my Dad. He is a farmer at heart, and has found a way to grow food in almost every place we've been--even in the middle of a large city in Canada. He loves pouring through seed catalogs and experimenting with planting and eating unfamiliar varieties of  vegetables. This summer, to the surprise of his squash delivery route, he decided not to plant a garden. But the garden sought him out. You can see his love of gardening in the coddling of these "volunteer" vines.

So, while you might not think a sack of typical Nicaraguan red beans is a nice gift, I think my Dad did. We enjoyed a few for supper, and there's a whole sack left if he chooses to plant some up for himself.

For my mom, it was a container of dish soap. We both enjoy practical things and like talking about how people do things in different places. Here in Nicaragua we have this awesome dish paste. Mom and I had talked about how effective and long lasting it was--and now she finally got to try it out. 

So, while you might not think dish soap is a nice gift, I think my Mom did. We had to do dishes anyhow--and now each time we are washing, we with remember our time together being amazed by the never ending bubbles from this nifty paste--and how we are connected by simple things. 

See, that's the thing about the perfect gift: it's only perfect for the right person. True gifts--the perfect gifts are not interchangeable. 

This is a hard truth for me. One of the biggest struggles in my life has been being angry that God doesn't always give me what I want. I read verses like  James 1:17 ¹⁷ Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. or Matthew 7:9 ⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ 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! 

and it's easy to stay mad. I am praying for "bread" here, why don't I get it? Other people have "bread"--Why not me? Am I on the naughty list? Does God not love me? Maybe God isn't so good--maybe He isn't so loving if He keeps rejecting my requests. 

Ah--but see, gifts are not interchangeable. And what is a good gift for one person, just might not be a perfect gift for me. God is bigger than what I think I want. He knows me better than I do. I can easily be confused about what I really want.

Jeremiah 17 9 A human heart is more dishonest than anything else. It can’t be healed. Who can understand it? 10 The Lord says, “I look deep down inside human hearts. I see what is in people’s minds. I reward a man in keeping with his conduct. I bless him based on what he has done.” 

Look at the verses around James 1:17. Notice that he has just been talking about temptation?

...do not be fooled about this.¹⁷ Every good action and every perfect gift is from God...¹⁸ God decided to give us life through the word of truth...

It's easy to be fooled. It's easy to think that I know what I want, and what is best for me. It's easy to think I am capable of choosing my own gifts. But God wants to give me the perfect gift. Gifts that lead to life.

Maybe a gift that looks like beans or dish soap seems like a funny thing to receive. Maybe it's not what I would ask for. But the God who has every gift at His disposal knows exactly what I need.