I have come to appreciate that there are three types of gifts. Gifts come with strings. Others because the giver thought there were strings, real or imagined. There is a third. One person freely choosing to give to another. It could be big or small. What makes it different is the lack of strings or conditions. A gift without expectations of what the receiver can or should do with it.
As a child, I loved gifts! I watched a child opening a surprise birthday gift, oblivious of anything but the gift. He forgot about his mother, siblings, and that he was in public. The only thing that he could see what that gift! Screams of delight, paper flying, and a few hops in the air completed the scene. This kid had his attention on the present. Standing nearby, you could not stop yourself from experiencing his emotions! I was excited. I was on edge, anticipating the next rip, wondering what was inside. In the end I was exhausted and wondering when the last time I received a gift like that.
String gifts, either direction are something we recognized and participated once we got to a certain age. It was as if we left our innocence behind in an effort to control the world around us. We knew good and bad. We believed that we needed to help the situation be better. As I embraced this belief I began to give gifts with small strings. I also noticed that I was receiving gifts with strings as well. My childhood innocence went on holiday.
As I watched the child I realized that I miss life without strings. While the memory is mostly my imagination, the approach children take, open, full of trust, believing in others, is one echoes an approach filled with compassion, community, and caring engagement.
I cannot change the world; I can give a gift with no strings. One person talked of big gifts; “Wedding gifts pour in from Tyre; rich guests shower you with presents.” (Psalm 45.12) Today I will start with a small one.
