Gift

When I was little, I remember a couple of times being given these really beautiful dolls. And I remember being so excited to play with them - brush their hair, change their clothes, intermingle them with my other dolls for tea parties, etc. Imagine the disappointment I felt when my mother sat me down and explained I shoudn't even take them out of the box! They were valuable collectibles and if kept pristine, would be even more valuable someday. How can a 6 year old possibly understand that? Dolls that were made only to be looked at?

So I ponder the question - does God give gifts like that? Would he give us a gift that seems to be everything we wanted and then tell us it has to stay in the box? Does it happen more than we know? I think He does. And I think we ignore that fact because we want to play with it SO BADLY. But when we do that, does it really diminish the value? If we keep it pristine, will it really be worth more in the future. And.... does that mean it can NEVER be played with? EVER?

I guess that is all in the eye of the beholder. I got a couple of dolls like that when I was little. One I kept in the box as Mom requested. The other - I decided was worth more to me to play with than to keep it pristine. I still have those dolls today. Which one am I the most attached to? The one I played with! I made memories with that doll and I will keep her forever. The other doll, I have considered selling on Ebay on more than one occasion! The value of each? Well monetarily,the pristine doll is worth more. But sentimentally, the doll I played with is priceless.

So what do I do with the gifts God has given me that are supposed to stay in the box? I haven't quite figured that out yet. But maybe, I will just crawl into the box with them. :)