Our favorite local Mexican restaurant serves free meals on Christmas Eve.

They don’t advertise this at all.

On that day, when you finish eating, you are handed a bill like every other day. When you take the bill to the register so you can pay, the employee says “Merry Christmas”, then the ticket is discarded. Many of the locals know its coming and are very appreciative.

It’s a wonderful surprise for others.

We know the restaurant does this every Christmas Eve, so we go there and tip our waiter extremely well.

A couple years ago, we noticed another local pastor and his wife taking there bill up front. I assumed they were familiar with the procedure, so I made the not so witty joke “I paid for yours.” What I didn’t realize is the Pastor and his wife didn’t know about the reoccurring free Christmas meal.

Later, on social media, my wife and I discovered that we were credited with paying for the couple’s meal. They didn’t mention our names, but their post expressed gratitude towards “anonymous” people meeting our description. Since we weren’t directly named in the post, I thought I’d simply clear up the misunderstandIng the next time we saw the couple.

Since then, we forgot about the incident. As far as we know, we received credit for something we didn’t do. We were shown gratitude for a gift we didn’t give.

That’s no big deal in the grand scheme of things. It was a meal not a miracle.

In your life, don’t let there be a misunderstanding about the source of every good thing in your life. God is the source, He directly blesses or indirectly blesses using other people or circumstances. Express your appreciation to others for their kindness, but realize ultimate credit goes to God. Let Him know you are aware of His goodness.

It’s not that God will be angry about losing out on any credit. It’s more relational than that. It is about each of us learning to trust God in every area of our lives. It is about understanding the source of every good gift is God. That strengthens our faith.

Think about all the good gifts.

Life, from God.
Grace, from God.
Blessings, from God.
Forgiveness, from God.
People we love, from God.

Your strength, mental capacity, unique talents, work ethic, and fortitude are all God’s design.

You may or may not view life this way, but I encourage you to be sincerely open to this perspective.

Whether the blessing drops down from heaven, comes through your own hard work, is delivered through a kind person, or seems like it was all a coincidence. Trust that God is in control. He is the bestower of all that is good.

See God as the author of creation, the sustainer of life, and the giver of every good gift. Show gratitude to others if they played a part in the good gift. But know in your heart that God is the source of all blessings.

He is the spark of creation, the catalyst for life, the impetus of grace, and the inspiration for every act of good will.

The credit is His alone.

-Tom Wise