Gifts...

God has been teaching me about giving lately. One of the struggles in my faith is accepting that God's gifts could be free. I know He wants me to believe this in order for me to be competely free.

So, lately, in the most unusual places, God has been showing me what "free" means. Today as I was rushing out of Save On, one of the employees came up to me, extending a bag of Christmas bows. "Would you like these?" she said....."they're free". "Oh...I replied......are you sure?" Yes, she said.....a gift. " I thanked her, stuffed them in my bag and went out feeling like the receiver of a great gift. Why does such a simple gesture fill me with gratitude? It's not the bows.....they're just ordinary bows. It's the fact that somehow she chose me to receive a gift. Oh sure, they're looking to get rid of inventory as they shift seasons. She probably recognizes me from the thousands of trips I make there......still, it touched me.

I love it when God speaks to me through the ordinary trip to the grocery store. That gift of bows once again reminded me of the gift of God's grace. Sometimes as He extends it to me in the rush of daily life, I accept it reluctantly. "Are you sure?" I ask Him. "I'm not worthy," I tell Him. "Why don't you give it to someone else who needs it more?" I suggest.

I believe God is asking me to embrace His gifts fully this year.....freely and confidently. I'm glad God is a creative God and knows how to get my attention, even if it is through a little package of bows.