Gifts of Gratitude

Gifts can be fun to give and receive.  Birthday gifts, anniversary gifts, Christmas gifts, etc.  But a gift of gratitude has special meaning.  This type of gift is not necessary or expected.  It is simply to show how grateful the giver feels.

Daryl and I have received many gifts of gratitude since living here in Guatemala.  Most of the famillies with whom we work are extremely  thankful for the physical help that the ministry gives them (food, medicine, wheelchairs, etc.).  However, they seem to be even more grateful for the friendship, love, and emotional support that they feel from us and from you, their sponsors. 

Gifts of gratitude here in Guatemala tend to be different than gifts generally given in the United States.  When the giver of the gift doesn’t have much to offer, they give what they do have.  I have received a few beautiful handmade tapestry items as gifts, and they are very special to me.  However, that is not the norm.  Usually our gifts of thanks here come in the form of a bag of six eggs, a Coke bottle filled with raw cow’s milk, a bundle of freshly picked carrots, radishes, or a papaya.  Daryl has even been offered a live chicken as a gift.

The wonderful thing about these gifts is not the gift itself.  It is the heart by which it is given.  It is the love and appreciation behind the gift.  It is the sacrifice that the giver has made.  These precious people are giving, not out of their abundance, but out of their need.  Many of these families live on dirt floors, prepare their food without the luxury of a stove or refrigerator, can’t afford to send their children to school, or have to make a choice between taking their special needs child to a doctor or feeding their family for a week.    Yet, out of their need, they choose to give us eggs, bread, fruit, or vegetables to thank us for caring for them. 

 

When a family gives to us out of their need, it is a huge blessing to us.  We know that the giver is truly grateful.  It means so much more than a gift given out of abundance.  So, when Daryl comes home with a handful of carrots, I don’t see one dollar worth of food.  I see a huge sacrifice, a wonderful gift from a family who loves us.

 Gifts of gratitude, given from the heart, and given as a sacrifice…such a wonderful blessing for both the giver and the receiver!

Then I think about my gifts of gratitude to God…gifts of my money and my time.  Does God really need my money?  Does He need my time?  Of course not!  He owns the cattle on a thousand hills.  He can change any circumstance with His breath.  God does not need me or my money.  BUT, He delights in my gifts!  He loves it when I give to Him.  He is thrilled when I choose to give out of my love for my Savior.

The size of the gift is not important to God.  What He cares about is size of the sacrifice.  If I give Him 1 dozen eggs out of the 500 dozen in my barn, the gift is small, not really a sacrifice at all.  And, therefore, not really a gift that means anything.  But if I give 1 dozen eggs out of the 2 dozen in my house (and with no money to buy more), that is a sacrifice.  That is a gift of gratitude that means the world to God.  Does He need the eggs?  No!  But, He sees the heart, the sacrifice, and He delights in it!

 

When I give to God, is it a true sacrifice given out of love and appreciation for Him?  Or is my gift given out of my abundance, so small that I don’t even really miss it?  The bigger my love, the bigger the sacrifice that I am willing to make, the more God delights in my gift…because He knows my heart.

Do we truly sacrifice anything when we give to God?