1557) I’m not sure who came up with the ugly sweater thing several years ago, but I find it interesting what one person considers ugly isn’t necessarily ugly to me and vice versa. We can view gift wrap similarly. Some wrap is beautiful and others can be overwhelmingly “busy” in its design and unpleasing to the eye. I thought of these two things as I read James 1:2-18.
These verses speak mostly about enduring difficulties and how these things can be helpful to our faith. As I read these verses, I nodded my head in understanding, but when I read verse 17, it took me by surprise. Because verse 17 is a familiar verse, (Every good and perfect gift comes down from God….) I have forgotten to look at the verses’ context.
The preceding verses speak about troubles of this life and the fact that they foster endurance but when I came to the 17th verse, and James tells me every good and perfect gift comes from God, it occurred to me that some of God’s gifts to us arrive in ugly paper.
I say this because not every gift from God is a “feel good” type of thing we are eager to unwrap. Some gifts God gives us will appear ugly and are often painful. Despite this, God still says these gifts are good for us.
Trusting that God’s allowance of trouble and difficulties in this life are going to be made good is the essence of faith.
Sometimes ugly gift wrap surrounds a valuable gift.
