Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you;
but the kind of peace I give you is not like the world’s peace.
Don’t let your hearts be distressed; don’t be fearful.– John 14:27 The Inclusive Bible
Peace, it seemed to me, would be the theme of the sermon Sunday morning. It wasn’t. The theme was gift. I always like it when the preacher take a text a direction I hadn’t considered! While I don’t remember much of the sermon, I do remember it began with this video.
Gift.
Freely given.
No strings attached.
No expectation of reciprocity.
For you to do with as you see fit.
It’s hard, giving freely. I want the recipient to smile, to be happy or pleased, to be grateful. I hope the gift will be used, appreciated, maybe even cherished.
And there’s a risk. What is given might offend. It could be ignored or re-gifted or simply tossed out.
Gift.
Because we don’t want people to stay sad.
Another LQQK 
Sometimes gifts are not accepted due to not understanding why the gift is given, creating distrust. But as it states, we should always try and reflect His kindness. Love that scripture of John.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So true. So many reasons we humans are reluctant or unable to accept a gift freely given.
Thank-you for mentioning kindness – it’s a bit of a mantra with me and I’m always glad to discover another who uses too! Kind words, kind deeds, reflections of Christ’s loving-kindness … all connected in lives of faith.
LikeLike