Perfect gifts

“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.”

‭‭James‬ ‭1:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I have a lot of family and friends with March birthdays, and as the years add up, it becomes harder and harder to find that “perfect gift.”

Perhaps it’s because we change so much as we pass from decade to decade, like walking through successive doors connecting room after room of its own discoveries and challenges. 

And then there is the perception that everyone else is as difficult to please as we are. We think we know exactly what we want or need, but we end up choosing things — even for ourselves — that don’t fit or function the way we imagined. Even our own plans undermine us, leading us into frustration or failure, leaving us eventually disappointed or discontented and looking for the next thing that hopefully won’t. 

We go on as if life “just happens” or happens to us instead of for us…

Angry that we had to circle back because we forgot our cell phone, only to later pass by a horrible accident that just happened —right where we would have been, if we were on schedule. 

Disappointed that we didn’t get that dream job we wanted so much, only to find out later what a toxic place it was. 

Irritated that we forgot something at the store and had to go back in, only to encounter that other cashier whose smile and encouraging words changed the course of our day — or that ours changed the course of her life. 

You see, we can make our plans, down to the minute and penny, but it’s God who tries to direct us into just the right place at the right time. (Proverbs 16:9)

We think we know what we want, but God knows what we need, even before we ask. (Matthew 6:8)

And He knows us so well, that even when we struggle to pray, when we can’t even explain how we feel, He gently draws out our vague and anguished expressions and forms thoughts clear enough to understand and answer. (Romans 8:26) Much like an attentive, loving parent understands a toddler’s babbling or a teen’s silent scowl…

We change, but He never changes. We think we know what we need, but He knows what we really need. 

Even when it doesn’t come packaged as we thought, He gives us so many perfect gifts…Even this very day, with its chill and overcast skies. I woke up. I’m breathing. I’m thinking. I’m thankful. Today is a good and perfect gift, too. 

#BackyardDevo