When God Takes Back His Gift

Quite sometime ago, a Gift was placed before me.  I asked the Lord, "Is this My Gift?"  I heard…silence.  Again, I asked the Lord, "Is this My Gift?  If this is not The Gift for me, I would like you to keep it."  Again, I heard…silence.  Daily, over and over again, I would pray, "Lord, is this My Gift?  If this is not The Gift for me, I would like you to keep it."  Each time, I heard only silence as The Gift was before me. 

Cautiously, I began to pick up The Gift.  I unwrapped it.  I explored it.  This Gift seemed as though it was, in fact, The Gift for me.  Each day, I would spend time with The Gift, learning about it, analyzing it and always ending my exploration with my prayer, "Lord, is this My Gift?  If this is not The Gift for me, I would like you to keep it."  One morning I awoke to find that The Gift was not where I had left it, but that it had been moved to another place in my room.

The new place was a little more difficult to reach.  So, again I prayed, "Lord, is this My Gift?  If this is not The Gift for me, I would like you to keep it."  Slowly, I gained the courage to reach for The Gift.  My prayer changed.  "Lord, if this is My Gift, allow me to reach it."  With time, and more prayer, I reached The Gift.  Soon after I was able to hold The Gift again, the still, quiet voice spoke.  "I should think, in a year’s time, I will take The Gift back."  "But, why, Lord?"  "My child, it is because you have placed more thankfulness and love into The Gift and you have forgotten Who gave it to you." 

I tried to place The Gift back and not hold it so close or hold it as much.  But The Gift was so beautiful that I was afraid that someone might sneak in and steal it from me.  In my attempts to hold so tightly to The Gift, I contributed to its brokenness.  You see, The Gift was not completely perfect when it was set before me.  The Gift was still a work in progress.  The Gift was still being fashioned and created to fulfill its entire purpose. 

"It’s time.  I will take The Gift back now."  "No.  Lord.  Please, don’t take My Gift."  "It’s time.  I will take The Gift back now."  "But, Lord, will you return it to me?  Will it be My Gift again?"  Silence.  I realize, now, that it was I who took The Gift for granted.  There were times in which I felt as though The Gift did not understand to whom it had been given.  There were times that I thought that The Gift took advantage of the care I gave it.  But I see now that I was the one that took The Gift for granted.

I placed too much of my hope and my love and my thankfulness in The Gift.  I held so tightly to it that the Lord could not finish the work He had for it.  I forgot the Giver and the purpose for which He set The Gift before me.  I forgot, in the pain of my loss, to thank the Lord for taking back The Gift.  I forgot to thank Him for placing it back in His loving care and not allowing me to break it further.  I do not know if The Gift will be returned to me.  I do not know if The Gift will be My Gift again.

But I do know that when God takes back His gift, it is not because he doesn’t want us to have it, but because he doesn’t want us to forget why it was placed before us or Who gave it to us.  And, so, I am thankful.