Before I moved to the Detroit suburbs in fifth grade, my family attended an Anglican church in downtown Detroit. A young couple in the church took a liking to me and arranged for me to have a special day on the water. They had a small sailboat but it could have been a forty foot ocean worthy vessel as far as I knew. All I could think about all week was going sailing.
The day we were to sail I took ill and had to withdraw from my sailing adventure. It was also my birthday that day and we had to cancel the afternoon party my parents had planned. My father had to work that day even though it was a Saturday. I was feeling ill and sad. I was in bed running a fever when dad came through the door with a present in his right hand, hidden from my view behind his back. In a moment he pulled the nicely wrapped box out from behind him, gave it to me, and said, “Open it Hoyt. It’s for you.” No problem being obedient to authority in that moment.
The paper fell away, the bow was on the floor, and the small but beautiful little sail boat was in my hand. My smile was bigger than the boat. I held it briefly and then leaped out of the bed and jumped into my father’s arms and hugged him. Tightly. I don’t remember what I said but I’m pretty sure it was some form of “thank you.” As a child I was instinctively able to set the gift aside so I could be enveloped in the arms of the giver.
In the 3G Lifestyle we consciously gaze at grace and glance at the gift. Every gift has a giver. The giver is the one who possessed the gift until he or she chose to give it away – to you. All because of undeserved, unearned grace.
I’m old now but I’m trying to recapture the beauty of childhood. I’m trying not to gaze at the gift and glance at the giver. I’m trying to set the gift down and jump into the arms of the giver. After all, all good gifts come from God. If you gaze upon him, you can’t help but be overwhelmed with him and as much as you value the gifts he gives, they will never overshadow the embrace of the grace giver.
