Sunday Devotion: Giving it away

Janet Rubin

I can’t remember a time when I did not believe in God. When I was little, mom told me that He was there, He loved me, and that I could talk to him. I thought that was neat.

One thing I couldn’t get excited about though was Heaven. It just seemed, well, boring. Sitting around on clouds, hanging around singing with a bunch of people (even cool people like Moses, Samson, and Noah), for eternity wasn’t my idea of something to look forward to.

In one Sunday school class I remember a teacher telling us something that made Heaven seem a bit more promising: when we arrived there, she said, we’d get crowns. Well, I could dig that idea. A real, gold, jewel-studded tiara just like Cinderella wore, gracing my head. That would be something. My excitement deflated at her next revelation: “We’ll all throw our crowns at Jesus’ feet.”

Say what? I get a crown and have to give it right back? What fun is that? That’s like donating all your Christmas presents to Good Will the day you unwrap them. Why would Jesus give us crowns if He doesn’t want us to keep them?

Honestly, this image troubled me not only in childhood, but through the years. But as I’ve pursued my writing, I think I’ve come to understand a bit more. A talent for writing is a gift. If I have a passion in my heart for writing, I only have it because it has been given to me by my Creator.

When I write, doing my very best and seeking God to lead me on, I am giving the gift back. Casting my crown at His feet. Then the Holy Spirit can use the returned gift to work in others’ lives. When I see someone blessed by something I wrote, or when I feel that God is pleased with me, I am filled with joy.

Sometimes I selfishly insist on wearing the crown. Swelled with pride I desire to receive praise, to be admired. I want the glory and I want to write whatever I want and plan my own writing destiny. This is folly. The crown weighs heavy on my head. Its jewels grow dull and lose their glitter. Any praise I receive leaves me feeling empty. Inevitably, my plans crumble.

The crown wasn’t meant for me to keep. It was given so I can give it back, and so God can use it as He pleases. In giving it back, I don’t experience a sense of loss, but rather of joy and excitement as I wait to see what He’ll do.

And Heaven? I look forward to it now. The One who made all that we see had surely prepared for us more that we could ever imagine. I can’t wait to see the ultimate Creative One and cast my crown at His feet.

1 Corinthians 2:9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"

Lord, Thank You for the gift of writing. I know this gift is not just for me to clutch to myself, but to share. Help me to offer it back to You daily and to trust You with the results. Allow me the blessing of knowing You are proud of me and of seeing others drawn closer to You. Amen.