Unwrapping Gifts

When I was a child my mom and dad bought a new couch. It arrived with a plastic covering, which my mom decided to leave on to keep the couch in good condition. But leaving it this way made it feel like it was still packaged up and not yet part of our home. The couch had been delivered but, in a way, not completely received.

Some things in our spiritual life can be like this. God gives us a gift, but we don’t fully open it. Communion comes to mind for me. Jesus gave us this divine meal as a time to experience his forgiveness. But do we always fully accept the forgiveness he offers, or is it a ritual we go through without actually accepting what’s being offered? What about the unique gifts the Lord has given each one of us? First Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” These gifts aren’t meant to be merely admired but to be used.

Eventually, Mom took the plastic off the couch, and it finally felt like part of our home. So let’s unwrap the gifts God has given us and start using them.