joy in Him

"While the Deceiver jockeys to dupe us into thinking otherwise, we who are made in the image of God, being formed into Christ's likeness, our happiness comes, too, not in the having but in the handing over. Give your life away in exchange for many lives, give away your blessings to multiply blessings, give away so that many might increase, and do it all for the love of God. I can bless, pour out, be broken and given in our home and the larger world and never fear that there won't be enough to give. Eucharisteo has taught me to trust that there is always enough God. He has no end. He calls us to serve, and it is Him whom we serve, but He, very God, kneels down to serve us as we serve. The servant-hearted never serve alone. Spend the whole of your one wild and beautiful life investing in many lives, and God simply will not be outdone. God extravagantly pays back everything we give away and exactly in the currency that is not of this world but the one we yearn for: Joy in Him."

                                 -- Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts

I've just finished reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I enjoyed it so much. There are many, many words in it that are worth quoting, but really... you should just read it.

I'm not sure whether to begin unpacking my thoughts on it here. Most of Ann's words resounded with me beautifully, but one thing that I am continuing to mull over is this question, which was meant to be rhetorical: "Is there a greater way to love the Giver than to delight wildly in His gifts?"

I actually struggle with this a good bit off and on, because my love language is gifts and I wish that it wasn't, because it seems so selfish to prefer somebody's gifts over, say, time with them. And so when it comes to God, although I am thankful for His gifts, it seems that the gifts are meant to lead me back to Him. Right? I guess I'm still working through that, clumsily learning how to walk out the words of a certain worship song: "Every blessing You pour out I turn back to praise." Learning how to love the Giver more than the gifts, learning how to seek Him for more than His blessings.

Anyway, the book was lovely. And this video - which I guess you'd call a promo - leads me to tears. It's the loveliest video that I have seen in recent memory (which, granted, is fairly short-term these days, but still, it's well worth four minutes).