Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. (James 1:16-18)
I remember when I returned to the workaday world after I had pretty well raised my children. I have to admit that, degrees or not, I was pretty naïve. I set out to set the world to rights, at least as far as my small influence could do it. It did not take me long to realize that the world honestly, for the most part, does not want to be bothered by a new social worker or anyone else. Most people are not waiting with open arms for a shrink like myself to help them see what changes they could make to improve their situation. They don’t want to change; they want others to change and spare them the inconvenience of doing so themselves.
If this sounds odd to you, let me explain what I mean.
I worked with families who were abusive to their kids and simply didn’t know what normal parenting was. They didn’t see anything wrong with what they were doing because it had been done to them growing up. Their dear old dad used a board on their behinds, they were fine, why couldn’t they do the same to their kids? Why did a six-year-old need to be babysat after school? They stayed home alone, they’re fine.
I worked with men who beat their wives or were emotionally abusive; their fathers had been the same way to their own mothers, and they didn’t see any other way to treat this wife of theirs.
I worked with people who had a family member killed in an accident and were reeling with the grief of it. Their family member may have been high, or drunk, or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it wasn’t their fault, so someone had to pay. They were going to sue the policeman who found them, the doctor who couldn’t save them, the hospital who couldn’t put them back together. It was anybody’s fault except their kid or wife or husband; someone had to pay and it wasn’t going to be them.
I worked with people who had terrible tempers, or impulse control problems, or alcoholism, and didn’t seem to think they had bought a bill of goods. And so many others run through my mind as I write this.
What I learned is that the father of lies, that deceiver, the devil has people convinced this stuff is normal, that they don’t have to change, it’s how it is, and pain is just a part of normal life. It is so wrong. This is not how it is supposed to be. There is so much more to life than pain.
James tells us that God is the Father of Lights, of clarity, or understanding, and purpose. He sends every good and perfect gift to us. To those with children, remember when you first held that little one in your arms? That feeling? That good and perfect love you felt? Those who are married, remember the feeling of belonging, of joining together on projects and life and sharing: all a gift from the Father of life.
Have you felt the beauty of a sunset, a perfect one, streaks of gold and pinks, blue, lavender patches shading into each other with just a few puffy clouds? Or a sunrise so lovely your eyes tear up at the sight? Have you held a butterfly on your hand? Or smelled a spicy, sweet rose on the bush in the morning, with the dew still on it?
Walking through the early morning fog, all cool and soft around you, walking through a cloud, mist making your face cool and damp; or the aftermath of an ice storm when the sun hits all that ice and lights it up like a million, shining, white, twinkles against a deep blue sky – that’s what true life feels like.
When was the last time you held a kitten and heard it purr, or hugged a wiggly puppy? Have you held a newborn baby right after its first bath, so soft, so warm, and that wonderful baby lotion smell, its little eyes closed in sleep?
All of these things are part of the beauty of God’s world after over 6000 years of sin. Can you imagine, when it’s restored, what it will be like?
Beauty is part of the gifts from the Father of Lights. He is all pure and all-loving and all accepting. Every good thing comes from Him and through His care. He does not change; he does not waffle over His promises. He simply keeps them.
I have lived a long time. I have never seen God abandon His children unless they turn from Him and He has to let them go. We have free choice, He does not force us to love Him, but He is there for even the slightest turning towards Him, to encourage and bring us closer.
In my family, we have a custom; we find the Sabbath gift each week, some little thing we that He sends right on time to make the Sabbath special to us each week. From newborn kittens found while gathering the eggs in the barn just before sundown, to a praying mantis landing on bush nearby so we can study them; to flowers just opening in time for a Sabbath bouquet, to the first snowflakes of the season turning us into a living snow globe. There is always something to remind us of His care. Have you actually slowed down and looked for His blessings lately?
Every good and perfect thing left on this earth is from Him. We may have to change to enjoy them; we may have to slow down. It’s fine, He walks as slow as we need to, and He runs as fast as we can.