The other day I was at my aunt and uncle's house with a bunch of my cousins and all their kids. There's a 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 year old. Needless to say it was chaotic, but also pretty cool to see all those rug rats. Anyway, after dinner the parents decided to pull the old Jimmy Kimmel Christmas trick on the unsuspecting tikes (the one where the kids open the presents and get a box of rocks, coal, etc.).
I think the goal was to see the shocked reactions from the kids, hopefully seeing looks of confusion and perhaps utter defeat, but we didn't get that. My little cousin Max (3 years old) got one of his grandpa's old yard gloves, while the other gifts included two small paint rollers, a block of wood, etc. After literally one or two seconds of looking at his "new" toy, Max became excited and yelled out, "I got a GLOVE!!!" Once he said that, it started a chain reaction in all of those kids. Each one of them immediately became so enthused about his or her own gift. It didn't matter if it was a glove or a power outlet cover. They were so excited to just get it and actually played with their new "toys." Heck, they even shared their new childhood treasures with each other. It was seriously one of the greatest moments of this year's Christmas.
While I was disappointed at first that I didn't get a small temper tantrum or a moaning and groaning, it turns out that God showed me a lot in that moment. Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." (Mark 10:15). Not only is a childlike faith something God demands us to have when we enter into his kingdom, that type of faith is also necessary for us to receive many of the blessings he longs to bestow on us in this life. You see, sometimes we completely miss it when we are receiving a blessing from God. Yes, we acknowledge when things go great for us and thank the Lord, like when we get a promotion at work, when we get accepted into a program or win a big game. That's easy. But what about when things aren't going so great? What happens when we open a blessing and its disguised as...an old, dirty glove?
I've lived just long enough (and have been blessed abundantly enough) to know that God works in incomprehensible ways. When things don't go how we wish, and even when it is painful, God's providence is always at hand. The Bible says that God governs even the roll of dice (Ps. 16:33). Yes, even Farkle and Yahtzee. The point is that whenever we are given the short end of the stick, or the dice doesn't roll our way, we can rest assured that we are still in the hand of God. And if we truly believe Romans 8:28, we can be confident in our faith that these things are happening for our benefit, for our ultimate good.
The kids' reactions were definitely not what I expected. Maybe I was looking for more of an "adult" response (it's funny, we are all grown up, but those kids have at least one thing figured out that we don't). However, at the end of the night, I wish I saw every blessing the way those children saw their presents. Truthfully, I envied them. I envied their joy, their youth, and their excitement over the mere fact that they have a gift to open, no matter what is inside.
No matter what God has in store for us around the corner, it is always a challenge to be joyful in both the good and disappointing times. Like my little cousins, I wish I was more content in every situation. The though that I get anything from the God of the universe is a HUGE DEAL, no matter what it is. So I want to be more like Brice, Rider, Max, Tatum, Taylor, and Josiah when unexpected blessings come to me. Even if I think those blessings are just rolls of string.
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
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