The Gift Exchange

There are certain things that we need to give to God. And God gives certain things in response to our willingness to open up to Him. It’s not bargaining, or "let’s make a deal." It’s not earning something from God.  God desires we give Him the stuff we can’t handle (all the stuff that steals life from us), and in exchange, He wants to give us life-giving things. We're invited to give Him our worries and entrust ourselves to Him; in exchange, He gives us His peace. We give Him the baggage we carry about the hurts that have been done to us (and those we’ve done to others), and He gives us His healing. We may give God our grief, and receive from Him, His joy.