Friday, December 5, 2008

Angels Among Us

Yesterday morning I took Ziva to school at 7:30, just like every other day of the week. 5 minutes later when I came back out to my car, there was a huge garbage bag propped against the driver's door full of clothes and toys for Ziva. The parking lot was pretty much empty, but I still stood there looking around for someone who might know something about this mystery bag. But there was no one, so I hauled the bag into the backseat and went to work. Once I made it to my campus I dug through the bag and found a card. There was a note that said, "I don't believe in Santa, but I do believe in God, and every year He helps me find a deserving family to bless. This year He helped me find you."

We are so overwhelmed and grateful for the gift from whoever it may be. I think I'm even more overwhelmed simply because we didn't need any of those things. The giver could have given to another family who actually needed clothes or toys, who had children old enough to know the difference....and I realized that while the gifts were really for Ziva, the message is for me: "How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us." I don't often look for the extravagance of God's love...it just doesn't come naturally to me. I easily expect Him to provide for my needs, but I don't expect much beyond that, even though the Bible talks about God giving us what we want, not just what we need. This gift was a whispered reminder that His love for me really is extravagant, over-the-top, running over, lavished on me.

Thank you, Lord, for Your great love. May we know how wide, long, high, and deep it truly is.

1 comment:

amandromeda said...

That is so sweet. There have been more than a few times in my life where God has lavished his love upon me and my family. It's always exciting when it happens. It is such a wonderful reminder of how gracious our God is.