A Gift from the Heart

What is the most memorable gift that you have ever received? (Other than the gift of salvation.) Perhaps it was a diamond, the promise of love and a life together. A child is definately a memorable gift from God. Maybe it was a family heirloom. Up to this point for me, it had been a teddy bear given to me by an orphan in Russia. But, I'm thinking the gift I received in Ghana will top that. I was given a live chicken - a rooster to be exact - by the people of the Lawra Methodist Integrated Health Ministries.

Now, what did I do with that live rooster? Well, I graciously accepted it and took it back to Wa where my friends live. I blessed their night watchman with it. I imagine it has been dinner by now.

What impressed me most, both by the teddy bear in Russia and the chicken in Ghana, is that the gift was given not out of the giver's excess, but out of the giver's meager possessions. They both were given sacrificially. The chicken was badly needed food, yet it was given with a grateful heart.

When was the last time you gave sacrificially? When was the last time I gave sacrificially? May God forgive us for being "spoiled Americans" in an "it's all about what I want or what I think I need" type of society.