Enjoying God's Precious Gift - Life

"Life is a precious gift from God, enjoyed every day in your life. While good days are welcome, they give you happiness and occasions to celebrate. You do not need to blame or curse bad days as they make you tough and give you a chance to find out your inner strengths to fight out the hardships and grief. Both are important and essential - like day and night - in your life."

We can all think of several gifts that would qualify. In addition, if we compare our "gratitude lists", we would find something interesting. Although the gifts would vary from person to person, one thing would be the same. We are most grateful to the giver and not the gift. Because, after all, the old saying is true that it is the thought that counts. The gifts we treasure the most, those we keep in our hearts, are those given out of love, the ones that represent a sharing in the life of the person presenting the gift.

While none of us can truly understand or explain the wonder of God, perhaps we can gain just a small glimpse of His love for us if we use the gift analogy. As Catholics, we know that God gave us a sharing in his own life. In Genesis we read, "For in the image of God has man made." (Gen 9:6) God shared His own life with us. There is no greater gift than that.

If we use all the examples of all the gifts we have ever received in our entire lives, we do not even come close to the gift of God's love for us in the first we all received - the gift of Life.

Yes, the only gift we all share in common, given to us by our heavenly father, is the gift of life. It is our most precious gift because it is a share in the life of the Father and we have the opportunity to share in this life forever. This is the most powerful message of love we will ever receive.