Missing the Gift

Do you remember when you were younger and your parents asked you what you wanted for Christmas, or perhaps you made a list for Santa Claus?  Remember how there was sometimes that one special thing that you really,  REALLY wanted?  It was all you could think about, it consumed your thoughts.  How you hoped and prayed that just this once you would get what you asked for.  You hear whispering between your parents about how they want to get you something special.  Now you are convinced..this is the year that your dream comes true.  Christmas morning comes and you look under the tree and your heart starts to race with excitement.  There, under the tree, is a box that is the perfect shape and size to be your special gift.  You wait patiently as your family goes through their Christmas routine but all you can think about is getting to your gift.  The time comes, you almost can’t contain the excitement as you peel off the wrapping paper….and there under the paper…is a bag of socks.    You are so heartbroken…but you go on to open the other gifts..hoping and praying..thinking ..maybe your gift is in one of those boxes.  All that you can think about as you open each gift is how let down you feel that it isn’t the one that you really, REALLY wanted.  You may have received some really amazing things…maybe you got a beautiful necklace, or some clothes, or a gift card.  Maybe your brother or sister worked really hard to make you a homemade gift to make you feel special but all you can think about is that one special gift that you didn't get. 

Do you think that we ever get that way with God?  Do you think that we ever ask for what we want and then get disappointed when we don't get it?  Do you think that we ever overlook the incredible gifts that God has given us, simply because we didn't get the one thing we really wanted?  What if the gift we actually receive is something that it wouldn't have occurred to us to ask for?  What if it is SO much better than what we originally asked for....and we miss out on the excitement and thankfulness for such a wonderful gift because we can't see past the fact that we didn't get what we wanted.

May we be those who stop focusing on the things we think we want and start focusing on the amazing gifts that we are already receiving on a daily basis. 

Even if You Never Know It

I was looking at my office the other day, looking at all of things in it that I keep around just to serve as a reminder about something.  I have a coffee mug with Smiley faces on it that says, "Smile God Loves You!" that was given to me by someone I barely knew who just wanted me to know that I mattered.  I have a picture of Baby Samuel, which serves as a reminder that life is too short to take things for granted.  That God performs miracles all of the time but sometimes they don't look like we think they should.  I have a picture of my friends Grace and Brian, so that I can remember to pray for them as they continue to walk this thing out. 

The thing that has really been speaking to me lately though is this angel.  I got it as a going away gift when I left my previous company.  The person who gave it to me came by my office to let me know that she didn't do goodbyes but she wanted to thank me for everything.  I just looked at her crazy and said...."no...thank YOU for everything."  You see this person and I weren't super close.  We kinda sorta knew each other but she wasn't one of the people that I made a point to check in with. There were some whose office became a haven for me when things were rough..or maybe when I thought they needed a pep talk.  There were times though, when this person would stick her head in, especially when I was having a rough minute (and I had a LOT of rough minutes there towards the end).  She would listen with so much compassion and understanding and would say what I needed to hear.  God used her in my life to help me see how unsustainable things were in my life and that some changes needed to be made.  Some of those ended up being BIG changes, like quitting my job and moving 1200 miles away but most of them were small changes where God spoke ever so quietly to my spirit, asking me to trust Him.

So I am super grateful for the person who gave me this angel, but it is not why it sits on my desk.  It sits on my desk because it serves as a reminder that we are impacting and influencing lives all of the time.  It is a reminder that what we do in the lives of others really does make a difference.  If you would have asked me to name one thing that I did that would have caused the person who gave me this to be thankful, I would be at a loss.  I must have done something though.  Maybe God used me at just the right time to speak something to her.  Perhaps she had an I.T. need that I took care of without making her feel guilty for asking.  Maybe it was just that I gave her a smile when I walked by her.  I know that I didn't do anything out of the ordinary, yet she was thankful enough to give me this precious gift.  

"Never underestimate your ability to make someone else's life better - Even if you never know it"- Greg Louganis