I want to give a gift to someone special in my life. I want to show how grateful I am for all He’s done for me. More than I ever could’ve imagined – I didn’t even have enough wisdom to know what to ask for and yet the blessings came. What can we offer to someone who has given us more than we could ever repay?

What a challenge! How do you give a gift to the Giver of Gifts…to the one of whom it is said that “Every good and perfect gift comes from Him”? He has everything; He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. The earth is His and everything in it. He deserves a gift of gratitude and my soul sang “He deserves my very best."

I decided to offer flowers, more specifically roses. There was a florist who claimed to have the most beautiful roses in the land. So fresh you could pick them out of the garden yourself. When I entered the garden it was amazing! A vast array of colors as I have never seen before! Which color do I choose? My eyes and my mind were overwhelmed by the beauty that extended as far as I could see and then beyond that.

Which color did I think He’d like more? Which would be His favorite color? I remembered hearing somewhere that He is no respecter of color. He loves them all. After all, He owns this garden too. As I walked through the myriad of colors, I decided to not choose one color but to get an assorted bouquet.

As I chose 12 roses, it seemed paltry in comparison to all He’s done for me. So I selected 12 more. It still did not suffice so I gathered more and more until I gave all I had to pay for my bouquet.

When I got home I realized I needed a vase. All I had was a vase that was chipped, marred and cracked. In my dismay, I prayed. The Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “Do not despair, it’s what’s on the inside that pleases Him more than the outside appearance. “Man looks at the outward appearance; He looks at the heart.” (I Samuel 16:7)

As I put each stem in the vase, I carefully checked them for imperfections. There were thorns I had not previously noticed that cut my fingers. Oh no, I said, I cannot give these to Him as they are. I must remove these thorns before I present my gift. There were thorns of my secret fears, thorns of envy, thorns of anger, thorns of selfishness, thorns of impatience, thorns of unforgiveness, even thorns of lapses in my prayer life and quiet time in the Holy Scriptures. I had not realized there were so many thorns as I continued to grieve the pain. They pricked my fingers and my heart. I was ashamed, but grateful that I had discovered these imperfections before I presented my gift.

As I painstakingly removed all the thorns one by one, I was comforted and consoled by the fact that I had not yet given Him my gift. Just the thought that I could possibly have not given Him my very best cut deep into my soul. I vowed to do daily personal inspections on every area of my life so my offerings to the One my soul loves would be accepted. I asked the Holy Spirit to guide me and keep me in all my ways so that I will hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” Finally, the roses were all arranged in the vase. I was so excited I could hardly breathe! I was finally ready to deliver my gift. I hoped they would communicate what my words could not convey.

Saints, join me now in this prayer to our Father:

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your steadfast love, Your mercy and Your grace. We thank You for Your enduring patience with us even when we fail to show patience with others. Father, we thank You for all the times when we couldn’t see our way. You guided our path even through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. We’re grateful for all the days when we wouldn’t have gotten out of the bed if it had not been for Your power to strengthen us. Dear Lord, we’re obliged for all the days You gave us clarity of mind and kept us from losing our sanity in this crazy world. Lord, we are beholden to You for the times when we didn’t have much, but You pulled out of your abundant provisions to supply our needs.

Father, we are so amazed by Your forgiveness and proven promise to never leave us nor forsake us...even when we’ve blown it for the thousandth time! Father, You gave us Your very best so that we could live. We can never say thank you enough. The gift You most desire more than anything is our heart. Lord take our lives and let us be all that is pleasing to Thee. We love You Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.