Have you ever received a gift so outlandish that you refused to receive it? Let me tell you a true story of a gift that came to my wife that continues to define us to this day.
Years ago, as a professional musician, Mary Kay was constantly reminded of how insufficient her flute was compared to the caliber of instruments played at her performance level. She had a silver-plated flute that cost about $1,200, which served her well while earning her music degree in college. The problem was that the kind of flute needed to perform at the level expected needed to be solid silver, at a minimum, which cost around $8,000, and it was simply beyond our reach financially to make that kind of purchase. Her skill set exceeded the capacity of her flute and she felt stunted in her musical expression. Eventually it affected her opportunities to perform and she hit a ceiling in her musical career. Heartbroken, she gave her dream to God and resolved that we would need to take a few years to save up money to get the flute needed to move forward in her career.
Somehow this story got out to a person that really enjoyed listening to Mary Kay’s playing. He approached her and said, “God told me to pay for a new flute for you.” Stunned, Mary Kay graciously declined his kind offer, not wanting to offend him with the cost to do such a thing. But he kept coming back, insistent that God told him to do this. Finally, Mary Kay told him the cost and, to her surprise, he consented. Like a kid in a candy shop, she went on a search and found a very nice professional silver flute. She nervously called the man back with the news. After a long pause, he asked her if it was everything she really wanted in a flute. “Sure, this will really help me in my career,” she said. Not convinced, he pressed her until she finally confessed there are other flutes that are made of solid gold, but are much more expensive and way beyond what she would need or ask. He replied, “Good, I want you to go find that flute and don’t call me back until you find it.” Mary Kay became very uncomfortable, not sure to take him serious or politely stop him from doing such a crazy thing.
She reluctantly went forward, conducting a national search for the right flute. She played some of the best flutes in the world, stopping several times while playing to laugh and cry at this amazing journey she found herself. By now, her musician colleagues had heard and it soon became a live drama unfolding before her music community. A month later, she called him back and recapped the whole search process. Another long pause on the phone. He asked, “But it’s not the perfect flute of your dreams, is it?” Mary Kay said, “It is far more than I could have ever hoped for, and no flute is perfect.” He said, “But God told me to get the perfect flute of your dreams, so until you have it, I must ask you to keep looking.” Mary Kay lost it. All of her emotions gushed out, trying to make sense why such an outrageous offer would be given to her. Even her friends thought he was toying with her, afraid he would back out of the whole deal once she finally found that perfect flute, if it even existed.
Then another miracle happened. The “perfect flute” became available from the world’s number one manufacturer. In a series of divine steps, the flute of her dreams had finally arrived. The cost was $26,000. The vendor asked how she planned to pay for it. Another long pause. The magnitude of all this hit her again. She called the man, giving him a chance to back out and telling how she felt so unworthy of such extravagant generosity. He simply said “Praise God! You found the flute of your dreams! Now I can share in your joy. Go and play for His glory.” He paid the vendor immediately and Mary Kay today enjoys one of the greatest flutes ever made.
This story has an epilogue worth sharing. The man asked us to never share his name, which we have honored to this day. We then found out from another source that his annual salary was $25,000 and he gave away most of his savings to purchase Mary Kay’s flute. It’s been over 10 years now, and this man’s gift continues to be a defining mark on our lives, inspiring us to give with great joy and abandonment.
It reminds me of our Savior Jesus, who lavished on us a love that we don’t deserve, setting us free to worship Him. In John 3:27, John the Baptist testifies, “You cannot receive one thing unless it be given Him from heaven.” In our Christian lives, we can give God only what we first received from Him. We have received eternal life from Jesus. He has cleansed us from our sins. He has set us free to walk in fellowship with Him. And He paid it all. I simply received it in faith. What is your response to such outrageous grace? Let us offer Him everything we are, everything we have, and everything we hope to have. He deserves nothing less.
