October 6, 2014

Reflections

It was one of those small white envelopes with no name written on the front. A friend of mine handed it to me as I left church, telling me not to open it until I got home. With the Christmas holidays in full swing, I didn’t think too much about it and tucked it into my Bible.

After changing out of my church clothes, I sat down at my desk to open the envelope. Out came a very simple card with a short printed message wishing us a “carefree and happy holiday season.” There was no signature, but I felt shivers run up my back as I opened another piece of paper that tumbled out. It was a check for an amount that I was sure I was reading incorrectly.

I sat there stunned. Finally I called my wife and asked her to read it to me so I’d know I wasn’t missing something. The amount written was for about half a year’s income for me. Thoughts tumbled over themselves as I tried to grasp the magnitude of such a gift.

As my wife went into the kitchen to prepare lunch, I went into our bedroom for a little visit with my Father God. I didn’t know how to convey heartfelt, genuine appreciation without sounding trite. In my mind I came up with scores of ways to try to express our gratitude verbally, but none seemed sufficient. After lunch I called my friend and attempted a sincere expression of thankfulness. After all, how do you thank someone for a gift that is way beyond anything you could imagine?

Our benefactor told me that they had felt impressed to give this amount and had wanted to do it anonymously, but it hadn’t worked out that way. They were just happy they could do it.

As the truth of what had happened sank in over the next several days (I put the check in front of my computer screen so I’d be reminded of its reality every time I sat at my desk), I was reminded of many lessons that I’ve learned over the years in my walk with God.

I am incredibly grateful for our friends’ unselfish gift. These kind folk have blessed many others over the years when they saw a need, and it has brought them a great deal of joy to bring such happiness into the lives of others. Isn’t that so much like God?

As I thought about how to express our thanks, I was struck by how often we tend to easily accept or take for granted the most amazing gift of all—a fulfilled and rewarding life with Christ now and in eternity.

My friends gave this gift because they felt impressed to do so. Little did we know what our needs were going to be, but God already did, and He opened heaven’s windows to cover them. We have experienced the incredible ways God has provided for our needs long before we were even aware of them.

How fortunate we are to have the kind of friends who reflect God’s unselfish love, which we have been able to pass to others in need. The friendships we are blessed with on this earth are but a glimpse of what we have to look forward to in the earth made new. And there is something even better to look forward to then: continuing our friendship with God Himself, who has always shared His best gifts with us.


Peter Newcastle is a pseudonym.

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