grace, gifts, and God's goodness

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. -- James 1:16-18

Sometimes God's blessings are so amazingly huge and GOOD that I have no choice but to stop in wonder at how much love and grace He has and how often He showers us with things we not only don't deserve, but would never have known we needed. His gifts are perfect.

One of those kinds of blessings in my life is my Uncle Don.

He has taught me so much about what it means to be a servant, what it means to trust God even when circumstances are ugly, what it means to wait on God, how God's Word really is our daily bread, and what a sweet gift it is to be able to sing your heart out to Jesus.

I have learned from him about rejoicing at birthdays and weddings and picnics. And I've learned about serving and loving at nursing homes and funerals. And I've seen him stay at the church until every last chair is stacked and every last piece of trash is thrown away.

I think that God gives us His perfect gifts to point us back to Him. And that's what Uncle Don does.

Happy birthday, Uncle Don! I thank God for you.