dailydatewithgod

The good news is no wrapping paper or bows are required. The good news is we are much more generous than we realize. When it comes to giving we are only limited by our mind’s idea of what qualifies as a gift. It may seem silly or an overstepping of a boundary, but gifts are regularly exchanged one moment to the next. The moment we are in is a gift, that is why it is called the present. What we say to others is a gift. What we hear from others is a gift. What we learn is a gift. What we teach is a gift. What we notice is a gift. What we don’t see is a gift. God invites us to expand our creative understanding of what qualifies as a gift. Our very being is a gift given to us by the essence of life itself. Every moment that we exchange energy a gift is given and received. The question is what kinds of gifts are we giving and receiving? The deeper question is what kinds of gifts do we want to be giving and receiving? We all have had the experience of getting a gift (the kind with wrapping paper and a bow) that we did not want. At that moment, we can choose to accept or reject it. Perhaps we chose to accept the gift of the intention of the person who gave it to us but not keep the actual item. Or perhaps we kept the actual item but dismissed the intention of the person who gave it to us. The same occurs in gifts that do not contain wrapping paper. This morning on my walk, I received the gift of light given by the sun and marveled in it as it lit my path through the neighborhood. When I came to work I gave a coworker the gift of my attention when I paused to receive his answer to my question about how he was doing. I could have chosen to withhold the gift of my attention and give myself the gift of getting my self-composure before engaging with others. The continual presence and exchange of gifts that happen are astounding. All gifts ask of us are the willingness to open the eyes of our hearts and view their presence through the lens of our hearts.