The Perfect Gift

As 2020 comes to a close many are anxious to welcome in the New Year as if the flip of the calendar will somehow erase all that has gone wrong in the world over the past twelve months. You and I both know this is not how life works. Sometimes I wish it was that easy, however, we have not been guaranteed an easy life but we have been promised a victorious life (John 16:33).

At the end of each year I like to look back and evaluate all that has happened—the good and the bad so I can move forward with a proper perspective. This year I would like to invite you to do the same. As we are in the final days of this year, let’s agree to take some time and think upon the gifts of 2020 before we rush into 2021.

Gifts? You may be asking. This year has rolled in many things, but gifts is probably not something glaring on your radar—yet I am sure, buried under any disappointment, heartache, pain, loss, discouragement, anger, or the uncertainty surrounding this year, there are treasures which have been overlooked. These treasures hold within them hope for your future.

Personally, like many of you, this has been a roller coaster year for me. I have experienced moments of great heights—seeing and experiencing things beyond what I could have imagined, as well as great lows, which I would rather have bypassed. Such is the rhythm of life.

Through it all I have felt the presence of God in tangible ways, and I have heard His voice calling in the midst of the chaos—speaking ever so quietly to my spirit letting me know He is not rattled—not one bit (Psalm 46:10).

I want to briefly share a personal moment with you in the hopes of bringing encouragement to your heart for the year to come. Recently, I was walking along the sandy ocean beach in Florida. I had been visiting with family for the Christmas holiday and decided to take a stroll with my husband. As we walked the lengthy stretch of the shoreline, embracing the beauty of the day, I saw something rather large lying in the sand just ahead. My eyes somehow fixed on this object as I walked closer to take a look. To my surprise it was a beautiful Conch shell.

I have been walking the sandy beaches of Florida for most of my life and I have never found a Conch shell. Not to mention one so perfect in design. It was as if God had pulled it from the depths of the vast sea and placed it right in front of my steps. As I reached down to pick it up I was stunned at its perfection.

What are the chances of finding a Conch shell, with no defects, lying just beyond the breaking waves? Most of the shells surrounding it were much smaller in size—many broken and defected. (Please note that I usually pick up the broken ones and take them home. That’s a story for another day.) On this day, however, I couldn’t resist clinging to this magnificent gift—a gift from God. As I held the shell to my ear to listen to the sound of the Ocean I was surprised by what I heard.

I heard clearly the raging sounds of the ocean but that wasn’t all.  I also heard the voice of God speaking to my spirit. What He said brought me to tears. To summarize, I heard Him say—this shell was a gift from Him to me. It represents all the unexpected, perfect gifts, He has stored away as treasures for me to discover.

Needless to say, I have set this perfect gift in a place where I see it often and can be reminded of God’s faithfulness. God promises us in His Word, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Someone out there needs this reminder. Look back over this year; look for the buried treasures among all that may have seem broken and destroyed in your life. God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).

God is a good, good, Father. Take the time to genuinely reflect upon this year. Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten your hearing to the voice of God. Perhaps, in the midst of all that has gone wild this year, you missed the constant, loving, voice of your heavenly Father. He longs to drop treasures at your feet.

In this coming year, our future, your future is bright in Christ Jesus. No matter the state of the world’s affairs, heaven has stored treasures the Father wants to give to you. If you can’t, for whatever reason, see the gifts of 2020, make a commitment to yourself not to miss a single treasure in 2021. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

I want to take this time to wish you a New Year filled with the blessings of God. For He gives gifts not as this world gives but He lavishes perfect gifts designed to bring His children peace and hope. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

May your heart be filled with hopeful expectation for all that God is going to do for you and through you this coming year. If you would like a resource to help you grab hold of this truth, you can purchase as copy of my book—Strategic Faith, Living Beyond Limitations. It can be found on the book tab above, on Amazon, or wherever books are sold. It will be a blessing to you.

-Lucy Ann