It was around 1960 and I was 10 years old. I was playing baseball in the “Little Leagues” in the neighborhood. My father had given me a very old style of baseball glove, very small, a little pocket for the ball, little padding, and well used.  I used the small glove for a while, but when my father and mother noticed that I enjoyed playing baseball, that it was not just a passing fancy, they purchased a “Trap-eze” model fielder’s glove for me. It was made by Rawlings and signed by Eddie Matthews (played for the Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta Braves from 1952 – 1966, hit 512 home runs, was selected to the All Stars 12 times, and inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978). It was a great glove like the ones used by the major leaguers. And, it was an expensive gift.  I was thrilled and appreciated the sacrifice my parents made in purchasing that glove.

                As with many boys that age, I was not always responsible, and my gratitude, though real, was not always foremost in my mind. I had been “playing catch” with some of my neighborhood friends in the yard (we always played in my yard), and when finished, I laid my glove on the ground and then forgot it. When my father came home that evening, he found the glove lying on the ground and brought it inside. Later in the evening, after supper, he asked if I knew where the glove was. After thinking a minute, I started outside to get it. My father stopped me and handed me the glove. He then proceeded to explain that the dew and moisture from the ground would ruin the leather, that the glove should never be left on the ground or in the weather, and if it ever got wet it needed to be dried and oiled again. He also explained that the glove was expensive and that he had to save money for a long time before he could purchase it. He was also disappointed that I would care so little for something that he had to sacrifice so much to purchase for me. 

                My father’s lecture had the desired effect. I sincerely apologized and proceeded to diligently care for that glove. It served me well during all my years playing baseball. I still have the glove some sixty years later, and it is still serviceable. Before my father died, we were having a get together, and I brought out the glove and a card for my father. The card was a “Thank you” for the lesson, and I asked if he remembered the glove. He did. And I intended the little ceremony with the glove and the card to let my father know how much I appreciated this particular gift, but also all the other gifts and sacrifices he and my mother made when raising my sister and me.  

                The apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians 9:15:

“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.”

It is an interesting word study. Paul is saying we need to express our gratitude to God for His gift to us. The gift is one that cannot be fully expounded (explained); thus, it is translated “unspeakable.” The gift is a voluntary present or sacrifice. A more detailed explanation of the word translated as “gift” is as follows: “a present or offering that is costly or highly prized which is voluntarily offered of one’s own free will to another, without the requirement of having it received or the thought of reciprocation” (Mickelson Clarified Dictionary of New Testament Greek). God gave a gift to us, and the full measure of that gift’s value cannot be adequately expressed. God willingly gave the gift, requiring nothing of us. The gift was Jesus Christ willingly giving His life, a sacrifice for our sin, to bring us back into fellowship with the Father.

                We need to continually express our gratitude for such a gift. And how can we express our gratitude? By not forgetting the gift. Do not leave it somewhere and forget about it. As Paul also wrote to the Philippians:

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Phil 4:7-8.

What is Paul telling us? What is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and worthy of praise? It is the gift God has given to us. It is the offering, the sacrifice, willingly given by Jesus Christ to bring us into a right relationship with God through the forgiveness of our sins. We have been made God’s children, adopted into His family, by the voluntary sacrifice of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. That is the gift that cannot be expounded or fully explained. It is indescribable.

                Meditate on God’s gift for us. And, as we meditate on all that gift has provided, we will grow to cherish that gift with a deeper appreciation of God’s love toward us. That is praise. That is expressed gratitude. That is worship.