#gifts
My word for 2020 will be gifts. I believe it will take on different meanings with different scriptures throughout the year. Today I am choosing to reflect on 1Peter 4:10 NIV; “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God”.

I want you to imagine a beautiful box with a special gift inside. Now I want you to imagine God presenting this beautiful box as His special gift to you. Can you feel the anticipation begin to arise? Before you open the box, I want you to imagine how this gift was handpicked, specifically for you. Now I want you to think about your reaction. Keep in mind, God already knows how you will respond to this special gift. Do you think you will have a receiving heart or a rejecting heart?
I want you to recall your favorite gift you received as a child. You were probably overjoyed with excitement and could not wait to use it. Now I want you to think about a gift you received as a child that was not what you wanted. You were probably ungrateful with a crushed spirit and could not wait to see if you could exchange it. Again, God knows what we will do with our special gifts. Do you think you will nurture that gift, or will you forsake it?
I heard my pastor say at our Christmas Eve service; Jesus was not the traditional gift that you unwrap and celebrate. His gift did not come wrapped in ribbon and bows but rather swaddling clothes. Our gifts may come disguised just like baby Jesus. It may take years of beautifully wrapped gifts for us to identify them. Over the years our gifts may change, or it may be that we change. God sees our potential through our gifts before the seeds are ever planted in our hearts. Will you make room in your heart for those planted seeds to grow or will we starve them? Our gift back to Jesus is what we do with our planted seeds.
As I reflect on my word for 2019 which was influence, I realized what a great gift God had given me. If Dad had not gotten cancer, I may not have found running. If I had not found running, God could not have used me to be an influence with others through the Run for God program. Do not get me wrong, I am certainly not grateful that Dad has cancer, I am grateful that God gave me a gift that would get me through the hardest season of my life.