Edited version published in Upper Room – Nov 14, 2007
http://devotional.upperroom.org/devotionals/2007-11-14
A few years ago I was traveling and decided to attend a minor league baseball game. Paging through the program I noticed one of the ads was signed by a ball player. In the third inning it was announced that signature made me the winner of a free oil change. I picked up my certificate and gave it away to the guy sitting next to me.
About the 6th inning, there was a race of mascots. Wouldn’t you know it, our section won a coupon for appetizers at a local restaurant, which I proceeded to give away.
In the 8th inning, a young lady came up to me and handed me an envelope and thanked me for coming to the game. I opened it up to find a slip for dinner for two at a local restaurant. I turned to a couple behind me and asked if they lived in the area. When they said yes, I handed them the envelope and said, “Have a nice dinner.”
I was given three gifts in one evening. And it made no sense to keep any of them. I was on my way home and had no plans to return. Of course the people around me wanted me to become a season ticket holder and began looking for apartments for me to rent.
It occurred to me that there are many people who see all that they have as a gift from God. Not just the superficial things, but all that they have. If I could see everything that I have as a gift from God, wouldn’t it be easier to give back to God, what’s already God’s?