Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
– James 1:17
Years ago I received a check in the mail from the federal government. The letter explained that I had overpaid my taxes for a previous fiscal year, and this was a reimbursement. And really, it couldn’t have come at a better time. We didn’t have a lot of money back in those days.
I remember thinking – half-seriously – that God Himself must’ve sent that check as a little reward for something good I’d done. A surprise blessing, a pat on the back from heaven!
I gratefully deposited it into my bank account.
The next year, I filed my taxes and fully expected another refund. Instead, my accountant informed me that I owed several hundred dollars. Turns out that that earlier “reimbursement” was actually a government filing error.
And just like that, my “gift from God” ended up being a clerical mistake.
That experience has stayed with me, and not because of the money… but because of what it revealed about my heart. I was so quick to label something a gift from God simply because it made me feel good, arrived at the perfect time, and benefitted me financially.
James writes that “every good and perfect gift is from above.” The key words there are good and perfect. Not just pleasant or convenient, or what I was hoping for.
Sometimes we assume God’s gifts are the things we want most. More money, more comfort, more relief from stress and pressure, or perhaps an open door to what we perceive as a better opportunity. And sometimes He does give those things. God is generous and He cares greatly about our needs.
But often times, His gifts look a lot different from what we expect. Sometimes it’s:
Wisdom instead of wealth.
Character instead of comfort.
Endurance instead of escape.
A difficult season that produces deeper trust in Him.
A closed door that keeps us from harm.
A personal conviction that leads to repentance.
Those are gifts too, even if they don’t feel like it at the time.
The Father of heavenly lights does not change like shifting shadows. His giving isn’t random, emotional, or impulsive. He doesn’t make clerical errors. He isn’t reacting. He isn’t miscalculating. What He gives is measured by His perfect knowledge and His eternal purposes.
Sometimes His gifts are clearly material and timely. Other times they are quiet and spiritual… like the peace that steadies you when nothing around you changes, or strength to obey when obedience is hard. Assurance that you are His despite feeling weak and alone.
Looking back, I’m grateful for that tax “mistake.” It exposed how easily I equate blessing with cash and assume that anything that makes life easier “must be from God.”
James reminds me that the real gifts – the truly good and perfect ones – are the ones that shape me for eternity: Forgiveness. New life. The Spirit’s work in me. The steady, unchanging character of God Himself.
Those gifts don’t get reversed the following year. They don’t come with fine print.
And they never have to be paid back.
Former Blackout Artist 