One of the joys of giving someone a gift is watching their reaction when they receive it. Will they be surprised and happy?
A normal expectation is that they will. A few weeks ago, I had the unsettling experience of seeing someone’s gift scorned by the person who received it. Yet, I knew the person who gave it took many hours of walking through stores, contemplating and eventually buying what they thought would be the perfect gift.
God gives us a beautiful creation with so much potential. Yet, many trample and abuse it.
When someone gives a gift out of love but it is rejected, it is one of the hardest experiences of life. Giving one’s heart only to have it trampled is very painful. Too often, those who give misunderstand what the other person needs. Too often, those who receive minimize the value of the gift or are unaware of the giver’s heart. We experience these disconnects in our relationships with loved ones, coworkers, partner organizations, and the communities we work with. But our greatest concern is when we experience these disconnects in our relationship with God.
God’s greatest gift of love is His Son. Yet, many reject Him. God gives words of truth in the Bible to guide everyone to live in peace and sufficiency as He intended. Yet, many ignore reading those words or consider them as nonsensical. God gives us a beautiful creation with so much potential. Yet, many trample and abuse it. I cannot imagine how His heart must feel as we misuse His gifts in this way.
As World Renew begins a new year of receiving and giving in 2014, we strive to live out these values in all our actions. We want to state them publicly again so that we hold each other accountable.
- Justice – We uphold the dignity and worth of each person because they are a gift created in God’s image. This includes addressing systemic causes of poverty and injustice that affect them.
- Restoration and Reconciliation – We intentionally seek to restore the gift of relationships we have with God, our fellow neighbors and physical creation. This includes mitigating conflicts, building peace and improving equality in relationships between men and women.
- Gratitude –We reflect our deepest thanks to God for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. This includes sharing God's mercy and compassion with others.
- Stewardship – We respect and restore the gift of God's creation. This includes building up people and communities as well as being cost-effective in our programs.
- Integrity – We build a culture of trust that is a vital gift in our teams and partnerships. This includes using donor gifts for their intended purpose.
- Inclusiveness and Appreciation – We encourage the gift of participants in our programs to use their gifts in ways that address all forms of poverty. This includes building capacity of communities as well as individuals, regardless of their religion, ethnicity, gender, age, or ability.
- Responsiveness – We foster the gift of innovation and continual learning. This includes ensuring timely, appropriate, and proactive development interventions.
Yes, these values are how we pledge to use and share God’s good gifts to us…for His glory!
Wishing you abundance in 2014,
Ida Kaastra Mutoigo
Co-director
World Renew Canada