For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. Romans 11:29 NIV
I am not a gift returner. I’m just not. Even if it’s something I could never use or consider my style, I just can’t take something back. I don’t know why, and I don’t smirk at those who do. Life’s too short.
Paul states God doesn’t return or take back gifts either. I had not thought of it in this way before. Ever. And one thing about God's gifts - size, color, style, quantity - all are perfect.
The size might be too big, at first. But not to worry because God will grow us to fit the gift. The color chosen by God might not be one we choose but it actually is the most becoming color. Like a dress I would never think to try on, but because my youngest daughter is challenging me to try new colors, I will actually try one in a new color and......buy it!
Even the style God chooses for us may be different than we are used to, but as we grow in Him, we change. Our attitudes, desires, interests and even relationships. We are not the same as we were before. We are being made new (2 Corinthians 5:17). What appealed to us before no longer is a good fit, and that’s a good thing.
Have you ever found just the right item then went back and bought a couple more because they were perfect for you? I have 2 pairs of hiking boots exactly the same, with one difference being red laces for those worn inside and brown for those worn outside. I didn’t think I would ever wear hiking boots to bed - but I have for over 3 1/2 years. And a year and a half before that, casting-type boots. God deemed it best that I wear boots, for this length of time and not my closet full of heels.
However, He is changing the footwear to be more in line with His fine-tuning of my calling. As of yesterday, my shoes are more lithe, more streamlined, more flexible. More capable of fast pivots, faster pace and quieter moments. Hiking boots have their place and have been my solid friend for so long (and will continue in this interim phase), and they are quite capable of the long haul, the steep inclines, the rugged terrain and the stability required for sure footing. They kept me grounded when all I wanted to do was run, and run fast, away from what God has for me.
IRREVOCABLE
God’s gifts are irrevocable. They cannot be taken back. He is doing a work with these very gifts. Wrapped in these gifts comes His calling. For me it includes suffering. And more still, it includes writing to process the suffering. I didn’t know that I process life through my writing. I’ve only been writing since I was 6, so why am I just now figuring it out??? These gifts and His calling are now deeply part of my life. They are here to stay.
I’m hoping the boots take a hike without my feet in them one day; but for now they are an every day event. God can use what we have gained and grown with for even greater heights. A new skill, a new passion and a new level of the calling He has - I am hoping to take those same boots with my feet in them on adventurous hikes (Camino de Santiago, for example), mission trips, and more. And with those boots, comes lessons I have learned while wearing them - God does not waste anything. Nothing.
He will use each ounce of training, suffering, challenging circumstances, and submission for His glory and our good.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (emphasis mine)
Do you have gifts given to you by God that my seem odd at the moment but are actually perfectly designed for you? Have you stashed them in the closet because you didn’t know what to do with them? Is it time to get them out and use them? Are you running from a call on your life because of fear? Are you tired of running? Ready to accept His gifts AND His call in your life?
PRAYER
ABBA FATHER, You amaze me. You see me in a way I do not see myself. You see me as a perfect child of God because when You look at me all You see is Jesus. Forgive me for rejecting Your gifts and at times Your calling. I will accept Your gifts from the past and I open my hands and heart to the ones You are giving me now and in the future. In faith I walk in Your calling. Use all for Your glory. AMEN
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