Rachel Whisman

“Here you go, Ms.Whisman.” It was the last day of school, and my students were lining up to depart for their summer break. One student stopped me before I gave them their goodbye hug, and offered me a mini plastic turtle. I responded gently with, “What is this for?” Quietly, he shared, “It’s for you to keep.” I added, “Something I can remember you with?” He grinned and ardently shook his head. I thanked him and slid it into my pocket and carried along with the remainder of the day. 

When I got home, I unpacked my things and came across what I had already forgotten in my pocket. I took it out and as I looked at the little, insignificant, plastic turtle in my hand, I realized how much more I had in common with it than I thought. You see, we do the same thing. We offer gifts to the Lord. Through the songs that we sing, the prayers we share, the hospitality we extend to others, and much more. Fundamentally, these offerings can not save us. They can’t redeem us from our sin nor buy God’s love. It is not a transactional gift. It is an act of love. We do these things because we are motivated by a love for God, albeit not always perfectly. Sometimes they look messy, unversed, or uninteresting like a little plastic turtle. 

Just like my student, we give Him little and seemingly insignificant gifts in comparison to the grand and holy God that we serve. He deserves more than we can fathom or purchase. Yet, it is still the same God who accepts these gifts and responds with love rather than a smirk. He appreciates our gesture instead of apprehending us and condemning for lack of quality. His delight is in our heart posture. He sees the beauty better than we can. We give because “His love has been poured into our hearts” (Romans 5:7). 

As I sat the turtle down on my dresser, it dawned on me that my student could have kept his little bitty turtle, but he decided to gift it to me because he valued me. How precious and sweet is that? How much more precious and sweet are our gifts as we bring them to the Lord. Keep stirring your affections for the Lord through His word, communion in prayer, fellowship and serving so that you may be spurred on to continue offering Him your everything. He will work. His spirit will lead us as we go. I may forget what my students gift me with, but our Lord doesn’t and He is pleased by them because He loves us.