A Perfect Gift

A Perfect Gift

Don’t make idols for yourselves; don’t set up an image or a sacred pillar for yourselves, and don’t place a carved stone in your land that you can bow down to in worship. I am GOD, your God.

Leviticus 26:1 (THE MESSAGE)

Cabbage Patch Kids dolls became one of the biggest fads of the 1980s, and I received one during the peak of their popularity because my mother worked at a retail outlet.

It seems that most little girls have a special doll in their childhoods. This is true of Amish girls, too.

Authentic Amish dolls are always fitted and dressed in traditional Amish garb and do not have any facial features. The dolls are faceless because the Old Order Amish do not believe in the use of mirrors or the taking of photographs of men, women or children. This is in keeping with the very important Biblical dictate that states: “Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth (Exodus 20:4).”

Although most of us do not consider dolls to be graven images, we do need to consider the things that might become idols in our lives. From the beginning, God made sure His people never tried to create an image to represent Him, yet we often find ourselves looking to things that we appreciate and applaud—million-dollar homes, luxury cars, and even people we praise simply because of their looks or talents—and placing more value on them than we should. Childhood fads can grow into adult fads, and if we’re not careful, they will distract our attention from the One who is worthy of all our praise.

James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (NIV). Nothing our eye is drawn to compares to the gifts that God offers. More than that, God offers Himself, which is the greatest—most perfect—gift of all.

Dear heavenly Father, I’m thankful for the gift of You. Forgive me for the times I’ve turned my mind, heart, and attention to lesser things.