As one who wasn’t blessed with athletic prowess, I was deeply invested in the abilities my youngest brother demonstrated during his primary school days running track. I was always immensely nervous as he waited at the starting line for the race to begin.
One year, during the annual primary school athletic championships, he placed first in a few races. And based on my accurate calculation, he was the clear winner of the award for best athlete in his class. However, during the trophy presentation ceremony, when the time came for the prize to be given, to my dismay, the trophy was given to another athlete.
I was so upset. I searched for and found the event organizer and pleaded for justice. Initially, I made little headway. However, I kept insisting and pointing out that a clear error had been made. I expected that the trophy would be taken from the athlete who didn’t deserve it and given to the right person. In the end, the organizer found another trophy and presented it to my brother.
You and I have been blessed with abilities, resources, and opportunities. Oftentimes, we take credit for these things because we worked hard to develop our talent, and we associate our earnings with our hard work and persistence. But while our work ethic and discipline contribute to success, we must remember that everything we have ultimately comes from God. Without the breath of life which comes from God, we can do absolutely nothing.
Given this fact, a healthy approach to life is to see every blessing that we have as a gift. Gifts have some characteristic features, and when given and received with the right attitude, produce particular outcomes:
- The recipient does not earn them
- They are the result of the initiative of the giver
- They are given because of love
- They ought to result in gratitude from the recipient
When we transition from seeing our blessings, abilities, resources, and our very life as a gift from God, it will transform our mindset from one of haughtiness to humility, from entitlement to empathy, from complaining to contentment, from greed to gratitude, and from competition to cooperation.
In 1 Corinthians 4:7, the Apostle Paul wrote,
“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?”
Let’s appreciate the many gifts God has given us and see them for what they are. It will produce an attitude that will transform our outlook on life—a priceless gift in itself.