Most times, God’s gifts to us do not come in attractive
packs. And it takes the help of the Holy spirit, plus our sensitivity to be
able to discern such gifts. Many are times that we have missed God’s wonderful and
ever sustaining gifts, because our eyes were being blinded, not by the devil but by
our inability to recognize what comes from him.
This applies to our everyday living. The unattractive gift
pack might come to you in the form of an instruction or leading which seem very
uneasy and we are not just comfortable with it. We don’t even try it out to see
if it works or not.
All we are interested in is that beautiful, easier, and
simpler way of doing things, forgetting that God’s ways are not ours. And it
leads us to questioning God’s love for us. If he truly loves me like he claims,
why and how would he send this ugly gift to me? Can’t he see how horrible this
job, man, house, career, etc looks? He must hate me so much! God's love is better enjoyed when we let him take part in running the affairs of our lives.
It may come in our
love life. I was telling a friend not quite long about some foolish decisions I
have taken because I wasn’t sensitive enough to what
God has in stock for me.
Was I even ready to let him talk? Didn’t I already had everything mapped out
before I sought his counsel? And what were the end results? Failure! Yes, failure
upon failure.
And that was when I would run back to God whose instructions I neglected.
Only if God would show us certain things right from the
beginning of our lives, would we not miss out in life. But hey, God is not man.
And he even said in his word, that the secret of the lord is with his people. That
means, we can know the outcome of certain things before they start, only if we
allow him talk to us about them.
I have listened to many married people said if they had
known their spouses would come in the easiest way they did, they wouldn’t have
wasted all the efforts, time, emotions and all sorts of good things on useless
and ungodly relationships. Many have even made costly mistakes that their
spouses are now partaking in the consequences.
Only if we would give God the
chance, to show us the way at all times. Only if we would be humble and patient
enough to let him hold our hands and lead us till the very end because he cares
for us. He loves us more than we could ever imagine.
Personally, I have dated and loved guys who I knew right
from the beginning were not good but I went ahead and dated and loved them. Wonderful
gifts for me. But what did I do? I overlooked that parts, and went ahead. Simply
because they came in the most attractive packs you could ever think of. Only
for me to end up heaping praises on God for not allowing the relationships work
out.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying God's gifts do not come
in attractive packs. Of course, they do. But what I am saying in essence is
that it takes a good listening and seeing skills to know exactly what is ours.
That
someone is a good man or woman doesn’t mean he or she is good for you. And that
he or she isn’t good for you doesn’t make him or her, a bad or terrible person.
He will be good for someone else.
Some of the things might come late to us because God is taking
us to a level which the things we want now would hinder.
You may desire
marriage, and because God knows that if you get married now, it will affect his
future plans for you. Take for instance, may be God is working a big
opportunity out for you in let’s say Abuja, and you presently leave in Ibadan
where you are looking for a wife or husband. And because God knows that you
getting married to your present would-be spouse will deny you that opportunity,
he would rather you lose that relationship so you can take what rightfully
belongs to you in Abuja.
And he would have gone ahead to prepare your spouse
alongside the opportunity. He may want you to be single for a period of time so
that his good plans for you will come to pass.
And you know what? God
will never force his gifts on you. He only presents you the proposal, which you
are at liberty to either sign in agreement or otherwise. And you know what, God’s
love remains constant. It doesn’t change. He will most times leave us to enjoy
the goodness of our choices as well as the damaging consequences. He knows we
would come running to him when it boomerangs. This has applied to me severally,
and it is then I would realize I should have sought God’s face before embarking
on such journeys.
This wonderful, but unattractive gift might come in friendship.
The friend who will make wonderful and long lasting impacts on you may not fit
into your class of people. It then takes your not looking down on people to recognize
what such a person carries.
It might come in form
of a job you don’t like to do.May be because the pay is small, or it is not just what you
want to do. But God just wants you there so as to use it to groom you for the
bigger and better offer. You need the experience and expertise gathered from
the unattractive to get the attractive, and to sustain it.
Dear readers, take a look at all your failures and the
things you’ve had to suffer, and check if you communicated with God before you
ventured into it. Why don’t you allow him take charge? Don’t take your
decisions before seeking his counsel. You wouldn’t like same if someone does
that to you. Things work well and better, when we let him take charge.
Dear friend, God may send you some valuable gifts wrapped in unattractive paper. But do not worry about the wrappings, for you can be sure that inside He has hidden treasures of love, kindness, and wisdom. If we will simply take what He sends and trust Him for the blessings inside, we will learn the meaning of the secrets of His providence, even in times of darkenss. -A.B. Simpson
He knows we would
come to that stage of decision making right from the beginning of age. Is he
not the creator? I am a testimony of what you are sure going to enjoy, only if
you would have a heart to heart talk on whatsoever decision there is to be made
with him. He loves it when he is involved in the running of our activities.
Lay your cards bare
before him. You cannot trick or deceive him into supporting your decisions.
Image credits: me.me/ skitsguys.com
