Learning from Teaching

Last week, we were reading a story in class about a friend who gives a gift to two of his other friends. After we read the story, we read Matthew 7:11 which says, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” We discussed how our friends and parents give us gifts all the time, and if they know how to bless us, how much more we can trust God since he is the One who taught us how to even give.

The next day, I began to ask myself if I really believed what I had taught. Do I really believe that God gives me good gifts? It is easy to answer right away, “Yes, of course.” But I was struggling with why it is hard for me to trust Him for future things if I know He gives good gifts. A thought struck me. I can trust my parents and friends because they give me good gifts and often have my comfort in mind. They hate to see me hurting and in pain, so they will do anything they can to help me avoid that. My Father in Heaven loves me and gives me good gifts but He is not so much worried about my comfort. He has what is best in mind for me but they usually comes with some discomfort. How convicting! If I had my choice, I would often choose to stay where it is comfortable, but that would come at the expense of God’s good gifts. It is amazing how much I learn as I teach!