A few years ago John Gilbert died at the age of 25 at his home in Paradise, California.
When he was five years old, John was diagnosed with Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy.
That meant that during the course of his few years, John had progressively lost more and more of the physical abilities that normally characterize the lives of young men.
School had been tough for John. So was the task of making friends. But along the way he became an articulate reporter of his inner life, even though sometimes he could barely muster the strength to move the mouse on his computer.
John became California’s spokesman for his form of muscular dystrophy. That opened doors of opportunity.
It also got him a seat at a special fund-raising auction and dinner, sponsored by the National Football League. Here’s what happened that night, in the words of author and pastor John Ortberg:
“When the auction began, one item particularly caught John’s attention: a basketball signed by the players of the Sacramento Kings professional team.
“John got a little carried away, because when the ball was up for bids, he raised his hand. As soon as the hand went up, John’s mother flagged it down.
“In John’s words, ‘Astronauts never felt as many G’s as my wrist did that night.’
“The bidding for the basketball rose to an astonishing amount for an item that was not the most valuable treasure on the docket. Eventually, one man named a figure that shocked the room and that no one else could match.
“The man went to the front and collected his prize. But instead of returning to his seat, the man walked across the room and placed it in the thin, small hands of the boy who had admired it so intently.
“The man placed the ball in hands that would never dribble it down a court, never throw it to a teammate on a fast break, never fire it from three-point range. But those hands would cherish it.”
John Gilbert later wrote: “It took me a moment to realize what he had done. I remember hearing gasps all over the room, then thunderous applause, and seeing weepy eyes. To this day I’m amazed… Have you ever been given a gift you could never have gotten for yourself? Has anyone ever sacrificed a huge amount for you without getting anything in return except...the joy of giving?”
Have you ever been given a gift you could never have gotten by yourself?
As a matter of fact, everything you have ever received falls into that category.
God owns everything. But he graciously shares all good things.
Be grateful. Be thankful.
And whenever you can, pass God’s best stuff on to someone else.
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