Read: Psalm 51:15-17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17.
Have you ever been so broke that you were forced to give a friend a birthday present that just didn’t measure up”? how did you feel as you watched those gifts being unwrapped one by one?
When my son Daniel was just 2 years old, he gave me a gift. It was a small pot, half-filled with sand, into which he had stuck a pink flower and a handful of leaves. The flower was faded, the leaves were withered, the pot itself was old and cracked and crusted with mud. But he presented it to me with eager hands, a very sweet smile, and a heart overflowing with love.
I accepted his gift with joy and put it in the place of honor—at the center of my table. An unfading snapshot of Daniel’s gift remains in my mind, and the lesson it taught me is etched indelibly on my heart.
Sometimes I feel as if I don’t have anything worthwhile to offer God. I can’t sing very well, so my songs of praise are often out of tune, or worse—flat! My knees and throat unite in protest when I have to speak or pray in public. I’m not very good at putting people at ease, or filling awkward pauses and smoothing stilted conversations. And when I stand up in church to worship, I know my mind has tendency to wander.
So what can I possibly offer God today? My distracted worship and stumbling words of praise, my inadequate thanks and broken words of sorrow, and myself—a flawed, sinful vessel?
Just as I accepted my toddler’s gift (noteworthy for its flaws rather than its points of merit, so also God accepts my offering even as He accepts me. I am His beloved child and He delights in my love and worship. – Tanya Ferdinandusz
R E F L E C T I O N
● What do I think is the difference between striving for perfection and doing my very best? Which does God expect?
Source: “ Our Daily Journey – Meditations of God’s Leading Through Life “ Vol.11
