Gifts

There are many things I did not understand (but judged anyway) before I became a parent.

Why do people bring messy faced children to the grocery store? How hard is it to wipe their face?
And how about that unbrushed hair and mismatched clothes?
Why do people with kids stop going out to dinner and other social functions?
Why couldn't mothers control their children's public outbursts?

That brief list just scratches the surface. One by one, I have humbly had to deal with 'eating some crow.'

Sunday morning, I confronted another one...arriving at Toys R Us 45 minutes before their posted opening so I could attempt to get one of these 'hot toys.' I couldn't believe myself, getting sucked into the commercialism before Thanksgiving has even come...and yet, I did it, joyfully and with a gleam in my eye even. (I had already spent almost 2 hours visiting other stores and scouring the Internet.)

I know it is crazy...especially because my children do not even know this particular toy exists. But I know them and I know that they will love it. I can already hear their squeals and giggles. So, I swallow my pride and work behind the scenes to make that gift happen.

I cannot help but think it is a small glimpse of how God goes about giving good gifts to us. Like my children, who will soon be making their list for Santa, we pray for specific things. The problem is, there are some things that we don't even know to ask for. We may unwrap our 'gift' with some measure of confusion and disappointment. I didn't ask for that...

And it often ends up being our very favorite gift, because it was given to us from Someone who knows us intimately.