Have you ever noticed how muscles require exercise? In order for a muscle to be healthy and vigorous, it must maintain itself by movement and activity. Once a muscle deteriorates, a routine of exercise must be followed to restore the strength and flexibility.

The same is true with the gifts that God gives us. God is a generous, loving Heavenly Father who willingly showers gifts and graces on our lives. In fact, the air we breathe, even the day we have, have been bestowed to us by God. Our lives, our talents and abilities, our time and treasure have been granted to us as gifts from God. It is these gifts that God expects us to use in a way that demonstrates our love of God and our concern for people.

In other words, God expects a return on the blessings in our lives. They are not to be hoarded or held as if they belong to us or came from us. Our blessings, our resources and our lives are to be dedicated to God, taking risks with them to help build God's Kingdom.

The temptation, however, is to play it safe and secure, to be cautious and reluctant, and keep our resources for ourselves. But God can unlock your heart and you can discover the joy of releasing who you are and what you have to Him. You can see with gratitude that every moment and encounter is a gift from God. You can risk offering a return to God with the confidence that your blessings will bless others. And you can accept God's reward that comes to faithful and devoted followers of Jesus.

I hope you take the risk and use what God has given you.

The night that I discovered that I needed glasses to see objects in the distance has been etched in my memory. It was as a ninth grader that I visited an ice skating show with my family and some cousins. In the dark arena, the skaters became distorted whenever that crossed the large skating rink and I was unable to focus on them with clarity and precision. However, one of my cousins, who had been wearing corrective lenses for years, suggested that I look through hers and see if it made any difference.

Was I ever in for a shock. The ability to see seemed to improve instantly for me and I discovered what I had been missing for months, even years. Perhaps my vision slowly altered at a such a slow pace that I was unaware of the the constant erosion that was occurring. In any case, the change of perspective was drastic.

When God unlocks our hearts, a change of perspective occurs as well. We see that our treasure and our time are all gifts from our Heavenly Father, to be offered to God and used to build God's Kingdom. When our hearts are touched and transformed, we can make new priorities about our money and lifestyle so that this new perspective liberates us and our hearts are not clouded by debt or confused by materialism. This new perspective allows us to see the shape and condition of our lives with godly focus and clarity so that we become aligned with our Creator instead of the objects of the creation and worship God instead of something other than God.

Maybe your vision has slowly become clouded over time. Maybe you need to allow the Holy Spirit to alter and adjust your perspective so you discover all the blessings God offers and gives you instead of simply taking them for granted. This new perspective will allow you to prioritize your life in a new way by bringing a careful focus and understanding to the difference between what you want and what you truly need. As God unlocks your heart, you will discover the satisfying joy that comes when you can freely and generously release what you have in love of God and in support of others.