Love Gifts

Have you ever experienced deep pain to the point you were desperately in need of God’s love?  I felt that way back in 2009 after the unexpected loss of my boyfriend of six years.  

At the time I had been grieving the loss of my second boyfriend who had passed away and the pain was still raw just six months later when God gave me my first “love gift” of winning this award.  You see, the pain was so intense, and I had cried out to God and I told Him I know He loves me, but I want to experience His love in a deep way.  I need to feel it and not just read about it in His Word. 

The best way I can describe it is the difference between someone telling you about their trip to France and they mention all the sights they saw and the places they ate versus me actually going myself and experiencing it.  HUGE DIFFERENCE!  The first is just second-hand knowledge and going myself is living it.  I wanted to experience how high and deep and wide and long God’s love is.  

My first official “love gift” I received is when I unexpectedly won the Saint Francis Health System Integrity value award several years ago, where only 5 out of 8,000 people are chosen annually.  When I won that award, I knew it was straight from God and He was giving me something special to smile about.   It didn’t just end there, though..  When I returned to work on Monday, the manager of the Saint Francis Hospital South gift shop emailed me and since I won the award she gave me a special discount on any one item of the store.  I can still remember walking down the hallway, praying that there would be something meaningful that I could purchase, something inspiring or encouraging….and you will never guess what I found in there.  There was a blue and white ceramic jar with the following imprint, “I can do more than you can imagine”  Love, God.

I knew right then and there He was going to do some amazing things in my life and that He was going to continue revealing His love to me.  I have had MANY love gifts since that time…and so can you!  All you have to do is ask Him!

There is a verse in the Bible that says, “if you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father In Heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him” (Matthew 7:11).  He doesn’t just hand you love gifts on a silver platter, you have to ask for them and He is faithful to reveal Himself and His love to you if you will continually ask Him!

Don’t be surprised when God shows His love to you through songs on the radio, lines from movies and even television commercials, through billboards on the highway and many other common ways through your normal daily routine.

And when you start receiving these love gifts, I want to hear about them!  I love God so much and I want to hear about the cool gifts He gives you.  I must warn you though…you will eventually fall in love more with the Giver than the gifts.