Can sorrow and joy walk hand-in-hand? Can you hold both sadness and happiness together?  Black is often associated with sorrow or mourning. I don’t naturally think of mourning when I think of a gift. It’s quite the opposite usually. I was first introduced to the phrase “a gift wrapped in black”  when reading an autobiography by Joni Eareckson Tada. It struck me as rather odd, so I continued reading to find out what she meant.

Have you carried the baggage of shame around from past hurts either by sins you’ve committed or by what others have done to you? Do you feel healing and freedom is gifted to others but you don’t deserve it for yourself? How do you think Adam and Eve felt; the first taste of shame in the world upon them as they severed humanity’s relationship with God? Can you imagine the anguish they would have felt after learning of their son Cain’s sin of murdering their other beloved son, Abel? The consequences of their sin and now their son’s sin would drastically pain them! In God’s amazing grace, He didn’t leave Adam and Eve without hope, and He doesn’t leave you without it either!

The Lord graciously warned Cain that the enemy was tempting him to commit sin, like his parents had. But he didn’t have to give in. The Lord had provided a way of escape. Do you feel like temptation wants to overtake you? Are you craving something you know isn’t part of God’s good order? Hold on, there’s hope for you!

What is your instant reaction when you read Genesis 3? What aspect of God stands out to you most in this chapter? Ex. Creator, All-Sovereign, wrathful, Judge? Is it possible to experience yet another perspective in this well-known Bible story; one of God’s love?

Do you want to know God more? Do you want to discern what His voice sounds like? How you can have a more effective prayer life? These have also been my desire. I want to always listen and know when God speaks to me, and be quicker to obedience as a result. It would be amazing to study through the Scriptures how to strategize and tactfully execute the things the Lord calls us to through prayer, and know how to best apply them. Though that was my original intent in beginning my Bible reading through Genesis again, the Lord revealed to me an even deeper desire in my spirit as His Spirit illuminated another theme in this context…

My dad and stepmom were getting ready to leave for a trip, so I phoned them the night before to hear how things were coming together, to bless their time away, and remind them of my love for them. It was a good chat. Near the end of the conversation, my dad paused in contemplative silence for a moment then said, “I love you very much… Do you know how much I love you? …I love you so so much.” Tears filled my eyes. My heart hadn’t known how much I needed to hear those genuine words.

If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, then you’re a child of the Living and Only God. As I shared last week in “Rolling out the Red Carpet for God’s Children,” The Lord has lavished many incredible gifts upon you, including the Holy Spirit as the down payment of your inheritance. In the Spirit is a whole set of other gifts you are given in order to mature in the likeness of Jesus, and to be His light to those around you.

Are you someone who battles with shame? Do you doubt God’s goodness and/or don’t understand the gifts you’ve received as a child of God? Let’s look at Ephesians 1 to understand more of the gifts He’s lavished upon you.

“Who’s your daddy?” Though this has many connotations, literally speaking it can either be very simply stated, complex, or not known. If you’re from a Jewish culture, a person might break out the long genealogical list dating them back to one of Jacob’s sons, or to Noah, or Adam. No matter the culture, even for those who don’t know their biological fathers, we all have the guarantee that our lineage traces back to the first Adam ever created.

“The promise is not a life without storms, but his nearness when the waves crash against us.”