It is the day after Christmas. For many, it is a day of standing in lines at stores, waiting to snap up the after-holiday buys or to return an unwanted gift.
I've been thinking a lot about gifts lately. Most of us have received, at one time or another, a gift that didn't work for us, that we didn't care for, that didn't fit, etc. It's certainly not wrong to want to find something that suits us. At the same time, however, we don't want to hurt the feelings of the giver.
As I ruminated over that, I started to think about a different kind of gifts. Has the Father given me gifts that (I believed) didn't work for me, that I didn't care for, that didn't fit? What must He think of my ungracious response? What must He think when I cast aside what He has picked out for me and whine that I want someone else's gift? What must He feel when I try to "return" that gift? I think He must be sad and disappointed.
How lowering that is, to know that I have disappointed the Father with my immature and selfish attitude.
So, for today, I am grateful for gifts from family, friends, and the Father.
It is somewhat unfortunate that we can refuse or return Heavenly Father's gifts to us. However, allowing us to do so gives us another gift--the gift of learning from our mistakes.
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