Love the giver more than the gift

Yesterday at the end of Youth Fest 2005, after the mass, Bro Michael Broughton came on the stage to give a talk. But he delivered it in a very unique way... Almost like Baz Luhrmann's Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen), with very short sentances, but to the point.

But one thing which struck me, was when he mentioned the giver and the gift. I can't remember what exactly it was that he said, cos my mind went into overdrive cos it linked so much with the previous post.

So I came home and searched for quotes about the giver and gifts, and found two.

Love the giver more than the gift.

Brigham Young

The challenge here is to look at things as gifts. And of course with faith then we believe that there is a giver. And wow! as I'm typing this, I'm thinking that it links with the LISS testimony given by Alan Wee at today at the 9am mass. At first he talked about the healing of his knee, but then he totally dismissed that the healing wasn't important. It was his realisation of his lack of faith. His reliance on self that he had overlooked the giver of gifts. The discovery of God in his life.

It's so easy to get caught up with the gifts. Because its always there, tangible. It's like lets say I have a Godfather, who sends me a laptop for my birthday, I could really get caught up with it. And if he wasn't there at my birthday party, I might even forget to thank him for it. And most likely, over time, I would take for granted that it still IS a gift, not WAS.

For the gift without the giver is bare.

James Russell Lowell

In my cupboard, I still see two gifts, the hawaiian shirt that evelyn and gerald gave me for my 21st birthday, and a polo-T that the community gave me for my birthday. And upstairs in my box there are lots of stuff that I keep for sentimental reasons. Now the thing is to look at what God the giver has given me. The challenge to recognise the many gifts that He has given. To be humble enough to realise that EVERYTHING is a gift. Even to realise that is a gift of the Spirit - Wonder and Awe.

3 recent examples come to mind about gifts that we can get so caught up with that we forget the giver.
MONEY/WEALTH - This one is particularly hard to see as a gift, because it either comes from our parents or through our own hard earned work. And thus so easy to place it as our number one priority as it offers the "power" to be in control of our lives, to give comfort, things which the giver freely gives, not through our own efforts. (Last Tues Sharing)
PRESTIGE/SUCCESS - To be recognised, to be famous, to be successful, all appeal to our ego. Using the example of the triathlete twins, they have got the gifts to excel in sports, hopefully they keep the giver in mind.
MUSICAL TALENT - This a bit linked to the previous point, but I'm just bringing it up cos I heard our choir practising Christmas songs. In June!!! Yup they have the gifts, and yup they should use those gifts. But it's so easy to hide behind that gift and forget about developing the relationship with the giver.