Follow the Sunbeam
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”James 1:17 (KJV)
Picture a beam of sunlight coming through a window. You can sit in it and enjoy the warmth. Or you can follow it with your eyes, back through the glass and up to the sun it came from.
Good gifts in our lives work like that. A great cup of coffee, a mountain view, a long talk with an old friend. They are meant to be enjoyed. And they are meant to point beyond themselves. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
The trouble starts when we stop at the beam. We start worshipping the gift and forget the Giver. Then, when the gift fades, as every earthly good thing does, we feel robbed.
Have you noticed that the best moments always end too soon? Maybe that is the point. They are sunbeams. Follow them up. The Father of lights doesn’t fade.
Read it yourself
Read James 1:16–18. What does James say God begat us with?
Which good gift in your life have you been enjoying without following it back to the Giver?
Father of lights, thank you for every good gift. Let each one lead me back to you. Amen.