by Joan Vetter

Don't you love new beginnings? A new baby? A new job? A blank canvas if you are an artist? Do you realize that YOU are a blank canvas in God's hands and He is the Master artist?  

Instead of worrying so much about what we will do each day - just think of how much more would be accomplished if we asked God to bring forth His awesome creative gifts through us every day. 

A new year often means well-intentioned resolutions. However, we usually approach them with an "I" - I want to lose weight, I will exercise more, I will stop smoking, etc.

Instead, let's anticipate the blessings of God and the creative flow of His gifting. Many of us have just gone through a season where we received gifts. Maybe some of them were the wrong size or not really what we wanted. However, the true giver of perfect gifts is the Lord who made Heaven and earth. He also created you, and knows exactly who you are and what you need. 

God's word says, "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."

So if you didn't receive the "perfect" gift at Christmas, trust the Lord to bring those precious gifts that speak of His knowledge of who you are. After all, He created you, and knows even the number of hairs on your head. (That always blows my mind - especially when the number changes daily!). 

When you are on the lookout for God's gifts don't expect them to arrive in tinsel or pretty bows. One of my favorites was two different times a cardinal (He knows how I love them) appeared right when I needed a pick-me-up. Once the bird sat quietly for a long time on the Azalea bush outside our bedroom window. Another time he flew to the tree close to our dining room window as I stood there asking the Lord to lift my discouragement. 

A friend shared this morning of the day she was walking. The day was really chilly and her nose began to run. She said, "Lord I really need a tissue", and a few minutes later she looked up and saw a perfectly good tissue caught on a branch. I'm sure many a skeptic would say it was only a coincidence, and I can't begin to understand how it got there, but I know she won't forget that "gift".

I remember the day of my grandson's funeral - the end of July in Texas - but a cool breeze danced around the gravesite as we sat there, and butterflies seemed to be led by an angelic symphony as they darted from flower to flower. My heart lifted with the certainty that this life is not the end. What a gift His presence was on that day.

In this New Year, let's learn to receive all the gifts God has to give-- starting with the greatest gift of all - Jesus Christ. If Fed Ex comes to our door with a package that requires a signature, they won't leave it until we sign to receive it. Likewise, we need to simply sign our name, so to speak, on the gift sent from Heaven.

Have you said yes to the greatest gift of all?