God's best gifts

Have you ever had something taken from you, friend?

Maybe a job opening at your company? Perhaps you really wanted that promotion, but there was someone louder, more aggressive, or more determined than you who got the job instead?

Or maybe a romantic relationship was "taken" from you. Did someone new come into your boyfriend or girlfriend's life, someone who could give more gifts or invest more time into the relationship?

How, then, should we protect our hearts when something like this happens? When something is taken from us?

Let's look at the biblical wisdom that sheds light on this troubling matter. Paul quotes Jesus in Acts, saying, "...'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" (Acts 20:35, NKJV) 

friend, you may be thinking, "That's true, but I still lost something, and others gained." Perhaps that's how it may look, but I'd love to share with you an example from a trip I took to Africa…I pray it helps change your perspective! :-)

I was in Burkina Faso, and I'd brought lots of stuffed animals and candy with me to distribute at a garbage dump where mothers were working with their children. When I shared the gifts, I was very surprised that none of the children snatched them from my hand—all of them waited patiently until they were each handed something.

When I accidentally gave one of the children more than the others, he immediately shared this abundance with the rest of the children. I was completely overwhelmed, and that's when I decided: "I have to come back here again! And next time, I'll bring even more!"

These children could've taken anything I had brought for them—there were hundreds of kids, and I couldn't have guarded the gifts—but they waited until everything was distributed. Then, they shared the gifts equally with the others.

friend, you don't have to use your own strength to grasp at what God gives. Choose instead to allow Him to give it in His strength and timing! Let your heart be at rest, knowing He can do anything and that He WILL give you what's best for you. Maybe it wasn't this specific promotion. Maybe there's a more suitable position opening up just for you! :-)

You are a miracle!