Naked I came and naked I will return.

Naked I came and naked I will return.

And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:21

I don't have a single item to my name.
I know what you're thinking... yea right, girl. You have plenty of stuff. I do. I have a lot of things on loan, but truly, I don't own any of it.

We're born... Butt Naked. We don't even own clothes. It's just us and maybe some hair on our heads. And by God's grace, we're born into families that can feed, clothe, and provide for us. Then, these families send us to school and help us learn to read, write, add, and subtract. (Not even our intelligence is our own doing.) We get through school and then, perhaps, we go to college. Our minimum wage jobs in high school most likely can't afford such a pricey education, so someone helps us finance it -mom, dad, loans, a wealthy great Aunt, however you do it. Then we graduate with a degree. We're a "big shot" now. We get a job, and start earning our "own" money. We quickly forget how we got here and suddenly begin to believe that our salaries and everything we buy with them is our own.

But I believe differently. I believe that while we do put forth the effort, that it is still all a gift. Yes, a gift. Something that we have not purchased on our own, but a gift: something given voluntarily without payment in return. Take a moment to consider that.


As I am reminded that nothing is own, I am reminded that not even my life is my own... but a life granted to me by a gracious Father.

At the end of the day, anything that we feel God unjustly takes from us --a dear friend, our job, our health, a comfortable bank account, and even our own life --is, in fact, giving God back what we're just borrowing.