Why I cherish a cheap gift

I have a cheap little screwdriver in my desk drawer. Calling it cheap is likely too gracious of a word. It has the form of a miniature screwdriver but not the ability to perform the task of such a tool. This little screwdriver is not an effective tool for anything. It is cheaply made, and if it were to be used for anything that caused real pressure to be applied, it would likely break or bend under the strain. So why do I keep it in my desk drawer? I keep it because of who gave it to me.

When our oldest son was coming through elementary school, he purchased this little screwdriver at school for a Father’s Day gift. His mom likely gave him a dollar or two so that he could "shop" in a "store" the school provided that offered trinkets for the children to buy for their dads. He looked over all the things in the "store" and decided that I would most enjoy and most appreciate this little screwdriver set. He bought it, brought it home, and his mom helped him wrap it. When he gave it to me, he was so proud of the gift he had selected for me. He was sure that I would value and cherish his gift for its usefulness. In the days that followed, he would often ask if I had used his gift. He wanted to know where I kept it and what things I used it on. What blessed my heart the most was not the value or usefulness of the screwdriver but that he desired to give me a good gift. Because of the heart behind the gift, it became valuable to me, and thus I still keep the little screwdriver in my desk drawer. The value of the gift comes from who gave it to me and his heart behind the gift, not the value of the object. As such, it was well-received and cherished.

Now imagine with me that some stranger wanted to find a way to impress me, capture my attention, and become a trusted friend. And in an effort to earn my friendship, he gives me an identical cheap little screwdriver like the one my son gave me. Now imagine that after giving me the little screwdriver the stranger then tells me that on account of the gift, he now expects to receive some of the same benefits that my son enjoys, like living in my home, eating at my table, and calling me dad. Beyond being strange, this would be a shocking request. There is no doubt that I would quickly reject the stranger's demands and deny his desire to enjoy the benefits of being my son.

Now imagine that the stranger knew that my son had given me the little screwdriver that was just like the one he had given me. He also knew how much I cherished and valued my son's gift. Knowing that his gift was equal, even identical, to the gift that my son had given me he protests that my rejection of him is unfair. His argument is that because the gift was the same so should my response to the gift giver be the same.

Here is where order matters. My son was my son before he gave me the gift. He had long enjoyed the blessing of being my son and his relationship with me was not dependant on the gift that he have. His gift was not an attempt to earn his relationship with me or even pay me back for all the things I have done for him. Gift or no gift, he was welcome in my home. Gift or no gift, he was welcome at my table. Gift or no gift, he was my son, and I was his dad. His gift was a response of a son rejoicing in being a son to his father. The expression of thanksgiving follows after the establishment of the relationship. Thanksgiving is a response to what already is. The value, elegance, or worth of such a response is not in the gift but in the relationship already enjoyed. The stranger attempted to purchase or deserve the blessing of sonship with a worthless trinket. His gift was woefully lacking and was rightly rejected. My son gave me a cheap screwdriver to celebrate that I was his dad, and I received it with joy and have kept it as a cherished treasure.

It is good to be spiritually zealous for Jesus. It is good to grow in your love for Jesus and your passion for His kingdom. It is good to serve Jesus and His church. It is good to sacrifice greatly for Jesus. We should be about good works. We should give our possessions and our lives as sacrificial gifts to Jesus. These things are beautiful and well received by Jesus as good and acceptable offerings from the redeemed.

We have nothing that can earn or ever deserve what Jesus did for us on the cross. In our effort, all we can offer the Lord are cheap and worthless trinkets. But when we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus and made a child of God, our offerings, no matter how small, are received with joy and become cherished treasures.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1, ESV)