God is Faithful in His Eternal Love

 

Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD. How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. (Psalm 36:5–9 ESV).

 

The playground taunt of “you’re an Indian giver” has existed for literally over 200 years. But the concept of "Indian giving" has been misunderstood and misinterpreted for nearly all those years. The concept of an "Indian gift" or an "Indian giver" traces its roots back to at least the 1700s. In his 1765 History of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, Thomas Hutchinson defined an Indian gift as a present "for which an equivalent return is expected." During their legendary journey West in 1804, explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark often encountered Native Americans over the course of their travels. The picture the pair paints of Indians and their culture was not pretty. Lewis and Clark frequently suspected Indians of either stealing their belongings or plotting to do so. This concept stuck. Author David Wilton argues in his 2004 book Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends that the concept of an "Indian gift" arose when white settlers misinterpreted the Native American concept of bartering:

 

"To an Indian, the giving of gifts was an extension of this system of trade, and a gift was expected to be reciprocated with something of equal value. Europeans, upon encountering this practice, misunderstood it, considering it uncouth and impolite. To them, trade was conducted with money, and gifts were freely given with nothing expected in return. So, this native practice got a bad reputation among the white colonists of North America and the term eventually became a playground insult."

 

In the spirit of the correct understanding of an “Indian giver,” that is to say someone who gives or receives with an expectation of reciprocation, let me say, God is not such a giver. He gives His love with no requirements of a return gift. That is the very definition of grace. The apostle Paul explains this in his letter to the Romans:

 

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6–8 ESV).

 

This is the central essence of God’s love for His children. He gives without expectation of anything in return. Of course, that does not mean we should not express our gratitude. However, our act of gratitude is not the motivation for God’s love. He loves us because that is who He is! Now, that sustains and encourages me, because I have nothing worthy to give in return. Yet, He loves me! He loves me because I am His child, not because of what I do or don’t do! Hallelujah!