So often, when we think about gifts, we think in material terms. We think about presents for Christmas or birthdays. We think about gifts of money in terms of loans, college tuitions, etc. And those gifts are all a good thing! We should be generous with our money. After all, our money technically is not ours. Our money is a gift from God. We are merely stewards of that gift.

But in the midst of all this material gift giving, we overlook the value of giving “spiritual gifts” to those we love. My mother gave me the greatest spiritual gift I that have ever received – a love of hymns. My mother was a church organist and pianist for 30 years. When you grow up with a church musician for a parent, you know your hymns!

Hymns aren’t just beautiful music. Their words can bring comfort when you are in despair. I have turned to hymns time and again when I have felt scared and alone. For example, last summer, my husband had surgery, and things did not go as planned. He ended up being on life support for a number of days. As I sat alone in the hospital waiting room at 3 a.m. on the night of his surgery, wondering whether he would survive, I turned to the one thing that would bring me solace – hymns.

I listened for hour after hour to this lovely YouTube video of piano renditions of hymns – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnk1HTsmJk0. As I listened to the hymns that I knew so well, their words went through my mind. Words of commitment.

I surrender all, I surrender all,
all to thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all. 

Words of hope.

When peace like a river, attendeth my way. When sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, thought hast taught me to say, “It is well, it is well, with my soul.”

And I knew that I was not alone.

Spiritual gifts are the ones that people can always have with them and use when life seems too hard to bear. My mother’s gift of hymns brought me through my darkest hour. What greater gift can one give to another human being?

I know so many people who are reluctant to give spiritual gifts. They will readily give monetary gifts. But what can money do for you when you fear the loss of a loved one? What can money do when you find out that you have a serious illness? What can money do when you are at a crossroads in life, and you don’t know which path to take?

We fear giving spiritual gifts because we don’t want to be pushy or preachy. My mother was neither pushy nor preachy. She played hymns for her job, and I often assisted her. And the church’s music seeped into my soul naturally.

You might consider giving someone a book of devotions as a spiritual gift. You never know when they might open that book. My mother-in-law gave my daughter “Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for Kids” when she was 11-years-old. My daughter read that book every night during those difficult middle school years.

When I was small, my Aunt Margaret gave me a wonderful book called “The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes.” I now display it in my home office. It is tattered from years of use. The binding is nearly worn off. I read those Bible stories over and over again as a I child. They became part of me. Recently, I gave that same book to the child of a friend of mine for his 4^th birthday. My hope is that he will love the stories and pictures as much as I did.

When we give a spiritual gift, it is just a gift. No price tag is attached. We aren’t demanding in return that the recipient covert to our religion or believe what we believe. We are just freely giving the message that “God Loves You. He cares about you. And you can turn to Him.”

The next time that you want to give someone a gift, think about a spiritual gift. Think about giving a lasting gift. One that they will keep forever.   One that will help them in their darkest hour. Truly, what greater gift can we give someone we love?

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Email: yourmorningcupofinspiration@gmail.com

Books: “The Secrets to Success for the Working Mother” by Meerabelle Dey (https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Success-Working-Mother/dp/1546329544 )