Gift Returns

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

One of the least favorite things for me while I was working in retail sales was the gift return. I would begrudgingly approach customers as they walked into the store, holding one of our store-logo bags with that obvious look of "I'm really not happy with what's in my hand."

These returns would make me less happy whenever it took place after the holiday season. How I got paid was two-fold, with a decent salary enhanced through commissions, so every return of one of the products I sold literally took away money from my bank account. Since we normally made good sales during the days leading up to Christmas, I could usually count on the first paycheck of the new year to be a good one, but not if there were a lot of returns.

These returns would not only hurt me financially but also put a nick in my ego. I honestly worked hard to ensure the purchase my customers made were exactly what they wanted. Unfortunately, however, there were just some purchases that weren't meant to happen.

So, when our Psalmist makes the case that God has made changes in the lives of the Hebrew people in times past, changes that brought about forgiveness and the ability to move forward with productive lives, then pleads for the leaders of the Jewish communities to not allow them to return to their foolish ways I know exactly how he feels.

The Psalmist understands that what God had done is very difficult work. He understands that the Hebrew people haven't been as faithful as they should have been and as a result their lives have been torn apart. As a result our Psalmist begs God to show the people of his day the same mercies; to once again bring forgiveness and prosperity to their lives.

God has worked hard to ensure we are given the gifts we need to make the choices which will in some way make our lives and the lives of those around us better. It would really be a shame to return those gifts.