Who or What We Are is God’s Gift to Us

“You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me. I sing for joy because of what you have done.” (Psalm 92:4)

Today, July 8th, marks our 56th wedding anniversary. My Sweetheart is in heaven, but I’m still thinking about God’s many gifts in my life because of our union.

My parents had it easy — at least as far as having a daughter who was low maintenance. I was not an overachiever. I was not athletic. I didn’t need them taking me to all kinds of practices and tournaments. I was not outgoing. In fact, I was downright shy, so they didn’t have to take me to parties or social events.

I was okay with singing in my church choir, playing the piano, and being an average student. And it was a good thing because my dad was very ill and any extra time my mom had, outside of work, was devoted to his care. It was a good thing that I was status quo kid.

But along the way, I fell for an overachiever boy, who was athletic, competitive, the life of the party, an above average student, and refused to accept status quo about anything — including me. That boy, even as a 13-year-old, was my cheerleader who brought out the best in me. Eventually, he became my husband and to this day, I see him all around me, especially in our over-achiever children — our son, Ryan, and our daughter, Staci, and even in me.

Ron was the one who pushed me in excellence, to be a leader, speaker and teacher. He urged me to use all those piano lessons that I had taken, to play for my church, and to even transition to playing the organ. He’s the one who pushed me to get my pilot’s license, securities brokers license, and my real estate brokers license and to be the best I could be in business.

To this day, I see him in my kids and grandkids. Every one of them seemed to get his good genes when it came to being strong, motivated, optimistic, aggressive, and outgoing. He taught them “Who you are is God’s gift to you. What you do with yourself, is your gift back to God.”

This blog is in no way to boast about the graces of God and the gifts we received, because every one of us could have been like that one in the Bible who had received talents, but because he was afraid he’d lose them, he buried them….to protect them. But the lineage and legacy of our family wouldn’t stand for that. We know that every one of us are here on purpose, with purpose and destiny to fulfill. The more we hold back. The less we give back. The quieter we are and the less-than-impactful life we live, is belittling and making light of the gift God made us to be.

The truth is every single one of us are precious to God. He assures us that He has a meaningful and purposeful plan for each life. What about you today? What are you doing with God’s gift to you? Are you raising your hands and shouting out “God, pick me! Use me! Sincerely, “What and who we are is God’s gift to us, and what we are making of ourselves, is our gift back to Him!”