Sometime during my teens, workers constructed a new house down the street and around the corner—a white Colonial with pillars—something like this:
I dreamed of living there in its spacious rooms, decorated in classic style, similar to the homes in House Beautiful magazine:
Of course, my dreams included a pool . . .
. . . and my favorite car parked out front, just for me to drive—a baby blue Mustang convertible:
Then I’d be deliriously happy.
And according to Psalm 84:11, those good things should have been mine, right?
After all, I was a pretty good kid—never got in serious trouble.
But now, all these decades later, I know: 1) Any sin at all is enough to separate me from all-righteous God (Isaiah 59:2). And 2) . . .
If it has a price tag, it won’t bring lasting satisfaction.
Chuck Swindoll
Now I realize there’s nothing more I could wish for in this world than what God desires to give me*–gifts that are the result of his ever-perfect goodness, never-ending grace, and breath-taking glory, gifts that are good for me.
Just for fun I challenged myself to list such gifts from A to Z, to celebrate the breadth of his generosity to his children.
I pray you’ll be celebrating too as you peruse the following.
Out of his abundant love, God has graced us with:
Access into his presence any time (Ephesians 2:18)
Bible truth that teaches, guides, and inspires (Psalm 119:24)
Comfort in pain and sorrow (Matthew 5:4)
Delights and blessings (Psalm 103:5)
Enablement to endure life’s downturns (Philippians 4:13), remembering that:
His Forgetfulness of our confessed sins (Hebrews 8:12)
His Grace to redeem us from death (Ephesians 1:7-8)
(The pleasure of) Humor, because the cheerful heart has a continual feast (Proverbs 15:15b)
Immortality with God in heaven (2 Timothy 1:10)
Death is not a period but a comma in the story of life.
Amos Traver
(His) Jealousy that compels him to preserve his relationship with his people (Exodus 20:5)
Kingdom-living and all its benefits (Luke 12:32)
Loving-kindness, lavished upon us (1 John 3:1; Psalm 36:7-9)
Miracles too numerous to count (Job 5:9)
Nature that brims with beauty and wonder (Psalm 104)
Overflow of his benevolence in our lives (Psalm 119:65 NLT)
Promises that never fail (Psalm 145:13b)
Quietness of spirit that offers peace and contentment (Psalm 23:1-2)
Relationships characterized by unity, support, and love (Ephesians 2:17-22)
(The gift of) Song, enlivening our hearts with strength, joy, and encouragement (Psalm 98:4-6)
Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
Berthold Auerbach
Truth found in Jesus, setting us free from the impossible burden of earning our way to heaven (John 14:6; 8:32)
Uplift to those who are discouraged, guilt-ridden, and/or grieving (Psalm 145:3-13)
Victory over death, given to us through Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57)
Wonders that showcase his power, wisdom, goodness, and more (Psalm 145:3-13)
(The) X-cellence of his character, compelling him to always do the right thing at the right time (Psalm 96:1-6)
(The) Yoke of Jesus, symbolic of his help as we follow his lead (Matthew 11:28-30)
Zion, the eternal city of perfection prepared for his redeemed (Isaiah 35:10)
And now I can affirm more strongly than ever:
God’s gifts put man’s best dreams to shame.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Including the best dreams of foolish teenage girls.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for showcasing in our lives your marvelous attributes and showering us with so many wondrous gifts! May the eyes of my heart turn away from the baubles of this world and revel instead in the beauty of your character and kingdom—a kingdom where you preside in all your perfections and provide for us all good things. Hallelujah!
*based on a statement by Joni Eareckson Tada, A Quiet Place in a Crazy World, 127
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A wonderful list Nancy. Ya, at this point I have been blessed with better cars than the ones I really wanted someday. Way more functional too.
Thank you, Gary. You’re right–a convertible Mustang would not have been a practical choice, even if the money had materialized for me to purchase one!
Wonderful list, but to be honest, we’d need an infinitely longer alphabet to list all His gifts to us. Thanks Nancy.
Oh my, YES! Our finite minds would eventually run out of items to put on such a list, but it would certainly be MUCH longer than this one!
I love all of these quotes, but more I love the list. This fits in with the things we should think on. Often I focus on the bad in life and have trouble coming up with what God would specifically have me focus on. Here they are!
That warms my heart, Linda. Praise God this list ministered to you!
How absolutely wonderful, my friend. Love the a-z blessings from the Lord
Thank you, Brenda. It was fun and uplifting to put the list together!
Your alphabet list is a wonderful prompt of God’s gifts to us. The quotes are excellent. Thank you for your inspirational post, Nancy!:)
You’re welcome, Nancy. So glad you found the post meaningful–praise God!
Nancy, you compiled a beautiful list of God’s good gifts. As wonderful as your list is, I know you could write pages and never exhaust His good gifts! I am amazed at His good things and blessings so undeserved.
I must tell you when I met my future husband at almost 17 years of age, he was driving a baby blue mustang, but not a convertible. He has wished so many times that he had kept it. Thank you for that little memory.
You’re right Pam–the complete list of God’s gifts would be MUCH longer! / How about that–Butch actually owned a baby blue mustang! I would have been so jealous if I’d known him back then!!
I was smitten by his ability to sing so beautifully and play guitar, and the mustang was an extra bonus🥰
The wonders and blessings that God bestows are endless and full of His amazing and generous love for us. I love this list, Nancy! What a great reminder to all of us to be grateful for all good things that come from Him.
Blessings!
Thank you, Martha. You’re right: to contemplate all of God’s wonders and blessings, his amazing and generous love, how can we not respond with gratitude? And even in gratitude, there is joy.
Such a fun blog to read–and a helpful blog as well. Hope it was as fun to write as it was to read!! 🙂
Thank you, Katie. It WAS great fun to put this list together and match every item with scripture to confirm it. I’m so glad you found it fun to read!
I truly did. 🙂
Wonderful post!!! Nothing in this world can compare to God’s good gifts to His children. And He knows just what gift we need at the right moment.
Excellent points, Linda. As for your last statement, “T is for timing” can be added to List #2!
oooo love the message and those quotes!! so much truth here today.
Thank you, Jean. I especially appreciated the quotes used here–how delightful that you did too!
A beautiful way to acknowledge and embrace the many gifts God has bestowed upon us while we await His return! The most precious things in my life are not ‘things’ but everything you listed, plus family and precious friends. (I must confess, however, that my teenage dreams were much like yours; especially a pool and a pink mustang!) And the quote from Chuck Swindoll is absolutely true.
I agree, that’s a great quote from Chuck Swndoll–well worth remembering. I can see you in a pink Mustang, Cheri! Although, with your stunning blue eyes, you would have looked great in my baby blue one!! 😁
I entered a contest to win a pink one! Ha ha! But a spin in your blue one would have been great! And you have those great baby blues yourself!
What fun we would have had in your pink Mustang, Cheri–if you’d won. Think of the runs to Pizza King in Hartford City we could have enjoyed!! 😁 Then again, who needs all those calories?! / My eyes are more blue-green than true blue. I probably should have had my eye on a turquoise model!
Love the quotes, especially the Barrett Browning, which perfectly sums up your sentiment. I’m guessing it was easier than it looks to come up with the A-Z list. And your title reminds me of a mantra we passed on to our daughter years ago, when her teenage life seemed to her a series of disappointments. We’d go, “Just say “all good things’ to yourself, as a reminder of how good you’ve got it.” Eventually we’d just say, “Remember? AGT!” Seems to have worked 🙂
It took a bit of time, Dave, but was well worth it. There’s great pleasure to be had in contemplating the truths about God! As for that experience with your daughter, you taught her a valuable life-lesson: Life is more satisfying when we focus on what is praiseworthy and excellent (Philippians 4:8)!
So right. God puts man’s dreams to shame. ❤
Isn’t that a great quote? Thank you for stopping by, Anna!
Needed to read this! Thank you and God bless you
You are most welcome. Praise God this post ministered to you, Tara!
What a great idea. I’m going to make that A to Z list too.
I’m so glad you liked the idea. May the exercise provide delightful blessing for you, Barb!
Nancy, I feel blessed to read this post. As you always thoughtfully design each post, they offer a cherished nugget to feed a hunger or even a spring of treasured water to quench a thirst. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to take some of these Scripture passages with me as I write another Christian poem.
Oh, I’d be honored if you based one of your poems on these scripture passages! I’m so glad you feel blessed by this post, Richard. Praise God for his inspiration!