The Unclaimed Gift

©2008 Susan Noyes Anderson (poem only)

I gave my friend a priceless gift.
She did not look inside.
She did not lift the lid to find
what treasures it might hide.

Instead, she praised the ribbon and
declared the wrapping fine.
The color and the paper and
the bow were called divine.

She thanked me with exceeding grace
and, quite pleased with herself,
she carried it into her room
and placed it on a shelf.

“Your gift I’ll open one day soon,”
she promised with a smile,
but first I’ll just enjoy its beauty
for a little while.

I visited her frequently;
each day I hoped so see
some evidence that she’d unwrapped
this precious gift from me.

But there it sat, upon the shelf,
collecting dust each day.
I could not bear to look at it
and finally stayed away.

Time passed, and she forgot my gift.
Unclaimed, its treasures hide.
A gift is but an empty box,
if no one looks inside.

The Spirit is a gift from God
to dwell within our hearts.
Receiving it means opening
each gift that it imparts.

If we confine the Spirit to
a place on our heart’s shelves,
we render God’s gift empty and
are left to bless ourselves.

Related Poems:

Gifts of the Spirit Priesthood: The Source The Promise In Sacred Grove