Gifts

“Why does Mary Williams stretch my socks?”

That was the question Kayla asked her mother as she was putting on a new pair of socks that morning.

The socks were bigger than her little feet even though they were beautiful socks. What the little girl didn’t know was that Mary’s mother had given her those socks. Mary and her mother had given her lots of socks and dresses and pants and shirts and beautiful clothes for years. Expensive clothes that Mary had outgrown, but were practically brand new. And since Mary was bigger than Kayla, Mary’s clothes were bigger, too.

“Why does Mary Williams stretch my socks?”

The little girl had no idea. She just wanted to know why they didn’t fit as well as she wanted them to fit.

A simple, true story that reminds me of the many times I’ve wondered why something didn’t seem to fit my idea of what my life should be like,  and in the process, I’ve missed the wonderful gift instead. The times I’ve wondered why God has given me something different than what I expected. Something that didn’t fit my idea of a perfect life.

My prayer today is to see the gifts in my life for what they are – generous, beautiful gifts. Gifts like the people I take for granted and a job that I complain about too much.  And to see all the gifts I’m missing because they don’t exactly look like gifts! And especially to love and appreciate God, the Giver of all good gifts, even more.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17 NIV).