A Precious Gift

I don't know about you, but I LOVE giving gifts!  Call it a "love language", call me crazy, call me what ever you want. I just love it!  This time of year makes me so excited as I think and plan about what gifts I'm going to be able to give to the incredibly special people in my life.  I especially love giving gifts to my husband, probably because I'm so in love with the man that any way I can find to shower my love on him I find so exciting.  Make sense?  My love =  desire to shower with joy.  Now the trick can be finding that gift that is just right! 

This got me to thinking though.  Thinking about our beautiful Lord, and how His ways are not our ways.  Don't get me wrong. We know that He delights in delighting us!  We experience it all the time.  His abundant blessings continue to daily blow me away.  He loves to fill us with joy and overwhelm us at His goodness.

But God is a little bigger than our very small perspective.  He sees and knows that our earthly happiness is not the end goal.  He sees the reality of the eternal perspective, something we fail to see, no matter how hard we try to grasp it.  In His infinite love and wisdom He knows exactly what we need, to shape us, refine us and teach us, that we might truly know the unending joy of knowing Him more.

At church yesterday, Pastor lovingly reminded us of the gift of hardship that the Lord so graciously bestows on us at times.  As I've pondered this it has brought to mind a dear friend who I've met on MOMYS.  Her name is Susanna.  The Lord saw fit to bless this woman with a precious gift.  A priceless gift.  He also blessed her with an amazing amount of faith and humbleness to realize what a precious gift it is.  On top of that, He blessed her with an amazing amount of gentleness and boldness so that she is able to speak unafraid of His goodness and His faithfulness. 

You see Susanna's beautiful little girl, her tenth child, was born with downs syndrome and a serious heart defect.  Not what most in the world would consider a very loving gift from the Lord.  Oh how the Lord has used Susanna though, to open my eyes.  She shared a link this past week to a blog from another precious mother who had interviewed several mothers and I had to share it with you.  Please take the time to read through it.  It doesn't take long, and I guarantee your heart will be touched! 

A Perfect Lily

If your anything like me now, wipe away your tears and consider, just consider, the goodness and greatness of our God.  Our God who could easily give us anything we want.  Anything that pleases us.  But in light of the amazing plans He has for us, at times chooses to bless us ways we don't understand.  Because He is good and we are not.  And because we cannot even comprehend what a beautiful and priceless work He desires to do in our lives. 

( To keep up with Susanna and Verity, follow her blog at The Blessing of Verity  )