As many of you know, I have a young son named Matthew. He is incredibly cute and engaging, but like all kids, he can be quite a handful.
It’s not unusual for him to toss out a box full of toys or spill his drink all over the floor. Many nights he wakes me up about 3 a.m. and makes it difficult to go back to sleep. He is often more concerned about his own wants and needs than those of the other members of our family.
Somebody might hear all this and say, “Whoa, I’ll bet Matt isn’t getting much for Christmas with all that is going on. You know what ‘naughty children’ get in their stocking, don’t you?—a big lump of coal.” Things like that are often said, but that’s not how things operate in my family.
Matt already has dinosaurs, elephants, helicopters and action figures wrapped up in pretty ribbons and bows under our tree. My wife and I have gone the extra mile, buying him many of the things he enjoys playing with. He’s going to get plenty of gifts this year.
Why?
You need to understand that our abundant generosity has nothing to do with Matthew’s performance. Many times he has, indeed, done things that are displeasing to us. Yet, we aren’t holding back from him. We desire to bless our son because of who we are as parents and the wonderful relationship we have established with him.
What we give him is truly a gift.
I believe this provides a little window into how the Kingdom of God operates. So many people are extremely anxious about their shoddy track record. They gaze upon their broken lives and begin to wrestle with feelings of deep shame and regret. They have a concern that everything in God’s economy functions by reward or punishment.
Many forget that some things are simply a gift for beloved sons and daughters.
As we reflect on this, we should remember the words of James, “Every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17a). In spite of who you are and all you have done, your heavenly Father is still the gracious giver of gifts.
J.D. King, director of the World Revival Network and co-pastor at World Revival Church, is writing Regeneration: Healing in the History of Christianity. King is a sought-after speaker, writer and author.
