Are you finding that perfect gift?

We go to amazing lengths to find just the right gifts for our children, our spouses, our parents, and that friend who you really, really want to buy something for, but have no idea what, don’t we?

We scour the ads in the Sunday papers and compare prices. We hunt online, clickity-clicking away till our eyes are bloodshot. We spend hours shopping and braving the crowds and exhaustion, while living on nothing but chips and a 44 oz. thirstbuster on the go. If we remember we throw in a banana to keep our legs from seizing up on us.

And finally, maybe a couple of days before Christmas, we think we’ve found the perfect gifts. We carefully wrap them with the most appropriate paper for each recipient. We thoughtfully word a pretty Christmas card or label a tag and attach it. We put them under the tree or mail them (hopefully on time, and that may mean standing in a long line at the post office).

All that’s done, hopefully, with a heart of love. Sometimes out of obligation, but the amount of work is the same.

I wonder if we spend that much energy seeking the perfect gifts that come from our Heavenly Father?

James tells us in James 1:7 that, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

The interesting thing I found is, the two words “gift” are two different Greek words.

“Good gift” is talking about the act of giving. God gives us what will benefit us, and never out of obligation.

“Perfect gift” is talking about a complete bestowment. God gives us gifts of completeness, in other words, spiritual growth that leads to maturity. Yes, that includes trials.

And God gives us gifts that allow us to be useful in the kingdom of God.

Do we seek after these gifts with as much fervor? Do we ask the Lord to give us power to use our gifts to bless others? I pray we do.

Our Father, our provider, loves us so much that He will give us everything we need for a good life so that we are able to grow up in Him, never lacking a thing. And He is not a fickle God. He never changes, but His goodness and light are as bright as always and ever shall be. We can have confidence in Him and in the gifts He has and will provide for us.

They will sometimes be wrapped in a pretty package that fills us with delight and smiles. And sometimes they’ll be wrapped in pain or sorrow instead of a happy bow, but they are always wrapped in His goodness and faithfulness and love. And they will always fill us with joy if we seek to know the perfect gift within.