One morning the angel Gabriel came to a small New England town. He had been asked to deliver three very special presents to three individuals. As he entered the large public building, he opened the second door on the right and stepped inside. He smiled at the three individuals gathered around a small conference table. "Good morning!" Gabriel began, "I want to thank you for meeting with me today."
Ron was the first to speak, "Actually, we have no idea why we are here. Each of us received instructions stating it was imperative we arrive promptly for a 9:00 am meeting, but we were not told what this meeting was even about."
Gabriel smiled and said, "Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Gabriel and I have brought a special present for each of you from God."
The three exchanged a look of confusion and frustration. "I'm sure this if a funny joke to someone, but I am a very busy person and I don't have time for such nonsense," declared Ron.
"Please," began Gabriel, "This is no joke. God has asked me to deliver these gifts. They are a gift of faith. They come with the instructions 'Trust me and believe. Love, God.'" Gabriel handed a box to each individual, and then vanished before their eyes.
The three individuals were speechless as they tried to comprehend Gabriel's sudden disappearance. After a few minutes, Ron broke the silence as he looked at what appeared to be similar presents in front of each of them. "Well, I guess I'll be the first to unwrap this gift of faith." He cautiously unwrapped and then opened the small, flat box. Inside was a very plain, old-looking brown vest. Reluctantly, he put it on. It felt uncomfortable and it definitely was not his style. It seemed so out-dated. He was pretty sure most of his friends would laugh at him if he ever wore it. He shook his head and said, "This must be some kind of a joke. I really don't have time for such nonsense." Annoyed, he quickly took the vest off and set it on the table before leaving the room.
Alicia was a little more timid as she began to open her package. She discovered the same brown vest in her present. She smiled at her present from God and then carefully began to wrap it up again.
"Aren't you going to try it on?" asked Tony.
"No, I don't think so. I want it to look perfect when I show it off to my friends." Alicia brought the vest home and placed it in a special display case. A few times a year she would bring it out and demonstrate it to her friends. She enjoyed the fact that she could impress her friends with it. Her special gift of faith was encased and untouched for the rest of her life.
Alone, Tony unwrapped his gift of faith. He, too, received a brown vest. He repeated the instructions from God as he put the vest on. "Trust me and believe. Trust me and believe." Tony really didn't know what to think about his gift. He wrapped his arms across his chest and said, "God, thank you for this gift of faith. I'm not exactly sure what I am supposed to do with it, but I trust you will help me figure it out."
Tony walked out of the room wearing the vest. He bought his first bible that day and began reading. As the days turned into weeks and years, Tony cherished his gift of faith. He discovered that it protected him during stormy times, and he stayed warm when others were cold. Surprisingly, he could share his gift of faith and wrap it around others who needed comfort, and yet it always seemed to fit him perfectly. Day after day, Tony thanked God for His special gift, and God and Tony became close friends.
In time Tony realized that the special gift God had given him that day had nothing to do with the brown vest. It was Tony's trust in God's ways that allowed Tony's faith to penetrate every aspect of his life. On his last day, God came to Tony's side. He smiled as He looked at Tony's vest. God gave Tony a big hug and said, "Tony the amount of time, love, and trust you "in-vested" in your faith has brought me joy. Come on, I'm taking you home. I can't wait to show you what I have prepared for you!"
-Susan
