Return to Sender – Missed Blessings from God
Romans 5:3-5
“And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
A Divine Revelation
Sometimes, blessings from God are packaged in ways that are difficult for us to receive, such as tribulation. Too often, their delivery is ill-timed, and the gifts they bring (perseverance, character, hope in the unseen) rarely accommodate our fleshing desires for a quick fix to our problems. So, we mentally and emotionally stamp them “Return to Sender” and send them on their merry way back to God never realizing the benefits they would have had on our spiritual growth.
Then there are the blessings from God we fail to see because we put no real stock in our prayers. Try praying for patience and see what happens. When God answers us by sending tribulations that require patience. This seems contrary to our understanding of how He should answer. So, we grumble and complain about the tribulations and fail to learn patience in the process. Sadly, these are just a few of the reasons, we miss out on the blessings of God.
There was a very thought-provoking story in the book The Prayer of Jabez about a man who died and went to heaven. As he was being shown around heaven, he came upon a large warehouse. When he asked about the warehouse and its contents, the guide replied, “Oh, you don’t want to see what’s in there, let’s move on.” Well, this response from the guide only made the man more curious. So, after persistent inquiries from the man, the guide finally consented to show him what was inside the warehouse. Contained in the warehouse were rows and rows of alphabetized shelves containing white packages tied with red ribbon. When the man asked if there was one for him, the guide reluctantly replied, “Yes, I’ll take you to it.” When the man opened the package, he was surprised and saddened by its contents. The package contained all the blessings of God the man had failed to ask for.
As I read this, God brought a deeper regret to my mind. What if the contents of those packages also contained blessings marked “RTS” because we failed to receive them when God sent them because they weren’t packaged pretty enough, or they arrived at a bad time, or we didn’t see the value in them, so we sent them back. I imagine I will find many a blessing wrapped in trials, tribulations, and sufferings stamped with “RTS” on it.
In my opinion, the saddest reason we missed out on God’s blessings is when we ask and then doubt that God will answer, because we have made God too little, our problems too big, or we’ve misunderstood the privilege of asking. In James 1:6-8 it says, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” Does any of this apply to your life? Are you missing out our God’s blessings?
A Divine Challenge
Beloved, the world has trained us to believe that only what tickles our ears and indulges our desires, are blessings worth receiving. However, for those of us who believe in Christ, the blessing of our salvation came in a package covered in blood and wrapped in suffering. I’m so glad that Jesus didn’t refuse the blessings of His Father sent via the package of the cross. If He had, He might have stamped it “RTS”, and we would be forever lost in our sin.
Call to Action
Thankfully, for us, Jesus received the blessing of the cross willingly and because He did, the package of sin and death was sent back to Satan with “RTS” stamped on it. May we follow His example and do the same when trials and tribulations come our way!!
Father, Your character building blocks are very different than the worlds. Trials, tribulations, and sufferings produce a dependency on You that are fortified in Your strength. Help us learn to recognize Your blessings and receive them with open arms. And may the only thing that gets stamped “RTS” is the temptation to sin! In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen!