My nieces and nephew were recently here for a visit. The kids played a lot of games. My nephew picked up a Rubik’s cube that was lying around and he was hooked. He brought the cube with him in the car, worked on it while playing other games, watched tutorials on how to solve it. He was hooked. And eventually, with quite a bit of persistence and determination, he was able to solve the puzzle.
Apparently being able to solve the cube is a sign of some kind of genius. It’s the kind I don’t have. I’ve never been able to figure out what combination of twists and turns will get the squares in the right places on all six sides. The first Rubik’s puzzle I was given wasn’t even a cube, but a flat panel that folded to make interlocking rings. I tried and tried, but eventually gave up and the game was lost to childhood disinterest.
This leads me to the question – is it only a good gift if you win easily?
You see, the person who gave me that Rubik’s puzzle loved me and wanted to bless me with a gift. But it wasn’t an easy gift. It required more patience and dedication than I had. Instead of rising to the challenge, I gave in to frustration, which ultimately led to my defeat.
The Bible says that our heavenly Father gives good gifts (Matthew 7:11). But I think some of His gifts are like Rubik’s cubes. They aren’t easy gifts. They’re not particularly fun. They require patience and dedication, a commitment to keep trying in spite of difficulty. There are times we might not like them very much. And if we quit too soon, all we can say is that the experience left us frustrated and disappointed.
But if we will keep going, these hard gifts hold the promise of a particular kind of satisfaction that only victors know. It’s the triumph of the mountain summit, of the finish line of the race, of the metal tested and proven.
The Lord works patiently to reveal the treasure that lies hidden within each of us, and His gifts invite us to do the same. When we work with patient steadiness to unlock the treasures the Lord has given us, it’s good for us. He gives us instructions, tutorials, guidance for each step of the process. It’s good for us to learn to love the way He does. It’s good for us to do the kinds of things He is doing. That’s one way we come to know Him more fully and have a deeper understanding of who He is.
Maybe the Lord has handed you a Rubik’s cube kind of gift and you’re thinking, What am I supposed to do with this? No matter how hard I’ve tried, I just can’t seem to get the hang of it. All I can say is don’t give up. Don’t quit too soon. Who knows whether this turn will be the one that unlocks the treasure hidden at the heart of the gift?
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 2 Timothy 4:7