So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him?
Matthew 7:11 (NLT)
Not so deep down, we want to give our kids good gifts. I, for one, spoil my AuDHD daughter rotten on Christmas and her birthday. It’s an opportunity for me to be ridiculously generous. Keep in mind I only have ONE kid, and my husband has a great paying job. Our circumstances allow for this. Everyone’s circumstances are different. Regardless of whether we can afford it or not, we want our kids to have nice things. Sometimes we desire them to get things we didn’t have when we were children. You know… like that pony 😉.
This desire is natural. It reflects God’s heart for us.
One day when dropping off Kayla at school, she interrupted a conversation I deemed important with a, “Mom, look!“ She pointed to a boy wearing a t-shirt that featured an icon designed by her favorite YouTuber at the time. “Can I get one? I’ll use my own money.” She’s in the habit of thinking her piggy bank is bigger than reality. I was frustrated with her because of the interruption, yet a part of my heart still shouted, “yes,” almost immediately.
I want Kayla to have nice things.
And…
God wants us to have nice things.
I don’t mean to say that God always says, “yes,” to what we ask for. He often says, “wait.” We prayed for YEARS before receiving Kayla (which is an awesome story for another time). Sometimes God even says, “no.” He is not a genie in a bottle. He’s our caring Father who wants what’s best for his children, and that Ferrari might not be what’s best.
There are a couple “yes” guarantees.
- Forgiveness
1 John 1:9 tells us God forgives our sins when we confess them. No exceptions. Forgiveness is guaranteed. Let’s follow God’s example and NEVER deny our children forgiveness.
- Wisdom
James 1:5 says if we want wisdom, we need only to ask. He’ll never have a problem with us asking for it and will give it generously.
What is the purpose of God’s gifts?
James 1:17 says, “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.” Scripture doesn’t talk about material gifts very often. King Solomon was blessed with a BUNCH of stuff and in the end said everything was vanity. Jesus tells us to store our treasures in Heaven instead of on Earth. So again, let’s not get hung up over that Ferrari.
Most of the gifts mentioned in the New Testament are that of the Spirit. There are quite the variety and God gives and he sees fit. But what do we do with them?
Answer: Use them for the benefit of others. Romans 12:8 says, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them…” 1 Peters 4:10 says, “As each has received a gift, us it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
I believe this can apply to both Spiritual and physical gifts. We are to be good stewards of everything we have on the inside and out. Now think about our kiddos. If any of them believe in Jesus, they have spiritual gifts. Do you know what they are? Writing this, I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know Kayla’s. I’m going to figure it out though, but I need to be helping her gifts grow and encouraging her to use them for God’s purposes. Sometimes we parents are too focused on what our kids will be once they grow up. The reality is that they have things they can do now.
Trust God to give us what we need when we need it. Remember all good things come from God, and he wants us to use our gifts, not sit on them.
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