THE PERFECT GIFT
BY PASTOR VANESSA WILLIS
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” — James 1:17 (NKJV)
In the Disney blockbuster fairytale, The Little Mermaid, Ariel, the youngest daughter of King Triton, ruler of the Mer-people, falls in love with Prince Eric of Atlantica. Her greatest desire is to be with him. Her father had strictly warned her to stay away from humans. In naive desperation and rebellion, she makes a deal with the evil sea witch Ursula. She trades her most prized possession, her angelic voice, in exchange for legs so that she can function on land. She can live on land forever if she convinces Eric to fall in love with her within three days. If she fails, she must return to the sea and become Ursula’s slave forever. Under the pretense of caring and helping, Ursula exploits Ariel’s rebellious, naive nature. She has no intention of keeping the contract. In fact, she schemes to make sure Ariel fails. Ariel has no idea how much her actions endanger not only her own existence, but the existence of her father and the whole sea kingdom.
Ariel’s story ends much better than it begins. During the middle of it, she suffers greatly and causes her loved ones to endure a lot of pain, devastation, and heartache. Eventually, her father gives her legs and grants her the right to live on the land without conditions.
Fortunately, Ariel’s story is a fairytale. However, the story in the Garden of Eden is not. Rebellious Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which God had specifically instructed them not to do. Their disobedience caused a rift in the relationship they enjoyed with God the Father. Their actions not only affected them, but all mankind. The only way to restore the relationship between mankind and God was to have Jesus give His life to pay the penalty for man’s sin. Jesus gave His life with no ulterior motives. His purpose was to redeem mankind and restore the relationship and the abundant life that man once enjoyed with the Father. He sacrificed His life so that we could live.
Jesus is God’s perfect gift to man. He is a good and perfect gift that came down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. We can trust Him. When we repent of our sins and confess Him as Lord, our relationship with the Father is restored. No strings attached. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8 KJV).
Prayer: Father, thank You for giving me the perfect gift of Jesus, my Savior.
