I was in Canada for the weekend, hanging out with some awesome CRC youth and sponsors for their “Classis'” Fall Retreat.
In order to smooth things over with Avery for me being gone, I promised her that I would bring her something back. I always try to do so, hoping that there is a bit of time to pick something out.
Avery is pretty easy to please. She can make something out of nothing, for the most part. It is one of the traits that I appreciate about her.
I picked up a blonde-headed doll for her before I arrived at the airport. The doll has a maple leaf on the bottom of its shoe… naturally she gave her the name “Falls”. I tried to convince her to name her Autumn, but Avery wasn’t interested.
I used to be a bit nervous to pick something out for Avery. I wanted to give her something that she would really enjoy and would want to carry around all of the time as a sign of her appreciation for it.
This gift giving event was a bit different. I didn’t find myself anxious for how she would respond to the gift (if she liked it or not). Instead, I was just thankful that I have someone to bring these types of gifts home to. Perhaps this is the heart of what it means to be generous, anyway.
Someone once said that the reason we were created by God was because there was so much excess love in the Trinity that it needed to be given towards another. Sure, God didn’t create us because he needed us, he just wanted to spread generosity as far as it could reach. Perhaps this is why God never tires to share his love and life with creation, regardless of how his audience might respond. Perhaps having someone to show love to and watching how it shapes the world is what he is after, as well.
Joe Skillen 