Goodness!! Ugly Packaging!!!
Hey Everyone! Sorry I been a MIA lately. Had some things to handle. Some of God's work that needed to be dealt with. I truly felt like Esther for that one. But let me tell you, when God has you on a journey, it doesn't always look or feel good. But when it's all done!!! And you see what in the world all the work and worry and stress was for!!!! Suddenly everything is alright. And if it's not perfect yet, you do begin to have a gratefulness in your heart that is beyond anyone's understanding!!!
Which brings me to this story. When I was a kid, Christmas was my favorite holiday. It still is, but for a very different reason. I can remember being 8, 9, 10, even 13 knowing that I may not see much under the tree the whole month coming up to Christmas, but on Christmas morning, Santa always came through. I knew it was going to happen, because Santa had a long history of doing that. It was written in the many many books that I've read. He always came through last minute, overnight, while I slept. Then as usual, it happened. I woke up to find tons of gifts, big packages and small packages. Colorful packages, pastel colored packages..... and as it happened every year, there were some boxes that appeared with the oddest of wrappers. There were packages wrapped in newspapers. Some of those were even the best packages. Over the years as my sister and I grew up, we came to realize those were the last minute gifts were the ones our father would get us in those late night, last minute trips to the mall. And since they were his last minute items, he would wrap them in what he had available to wrap them with. And it was always newspaper. I imagine that so many people would think "man, he couldn't even stop at the dollar store to get some wrapping paper to wrap it? Was he that lazy? Or maybe he didn't care about that and wanted to just have it over with?" Oh how easily someone's negative thoughts can assume things from an appearance.
Then I also remembered, the newspaper wasn't anything wonderful to look at. I don't remember if I saw the funnies, the daily horoscope, or even the classifieds. It was the newspaper. Now that I'm older and I think back, man, the newspaper is depressing. Especially if you think about it in todays world. There are crimes, deaths, warnings, just all sorts of fear invoking topics and truly depressing things going on that is reported in a newspaper.
Then God reminded me how I'm always asking Him for this and that and the other. And sometimes I just don't seem to receive what I asked for. So I asked the Lord, God you reminded me of Christmas, and now you are reminding me of how I still haven't gotten that thing/those things I've asked you about. What in the world is the link between the 2? Or am I just bugging, thinking about too many random things again?
Then I got it. Sometimes we pray for a blessing "for Christmas". But sometimes, some of those blessings aren't wrapped the way that we expect them to be. They don't come in the right package. The outside might be sad and depressing. You have always received the other blessings JUST LIKE you expected. Wrapped in the right packaging. With the beautiful bow even. But somehow, we tend to devalue the less appealing ones because they weren't put together the way we thought it was supposed to be.
In case you don't understand, you know I can always give you an example. I have been praying on some career moves. But somehow, I have not been able to move. Maybe I've been waiting for another manager to find me and come to my desk and say "Ana I have an opening in my group that I'd like for you to consider.". Or maybe I've been waiting for an email that says "Ana, I've worked with your group and with you personally on so many accounts, I have a need in my group that I'd like to talk to you about." or whatever it is, maybe I've been waiting for it to fall into my lap. But maybe, just maybe, the blessing is not wrapped up the way I want it to be. Maybe this is a case where the wrapping is not as attractive as I would like for it to be. Maybe the career move is not directly up. Maybe my career move is that "less than desirable" lateral move that gives me the additional training that I will need to require in order to be where i want to be. Maybe its the lateral move that puts me in line with the blessing that the Lord wants to give me that I've been burning up His ears about. Maybe it's that newspaper wrapped blessing that looks like the thing you would not pick up first, over all those other beautifully wrapped gifts, but it's the one that puts you directly where you need to be in order to get what you want.
How many of you might be asking for the same thing/things over and over. And praying without ceasing is correct. It's what you are supposed to do. But you need to be sure you are also listening for the answers. For direction. Sometimes its not going to fall into your lap the way you want it to. Sometimes He needs for you to shift some things and get yourself in line again so that you can line up with the blessing that He is trying to give you.
Sometimes the blessing is not on a direct route. Sometimes that blessing can only be obtained by taking the less pretty trip down I forgive you lane, followed by some success. Only to find yourself racing down a slippery slope of pride because of that success. But you still haven't received that thing that you prayed for, so you are still praying although you are thankful for what you have received so far. You might not yet be lined up to receive it. There may be a few more bumpy roads to travel. A few more less desirable packages that you need to receive before the true blessing that He has in store for you appears.
The question is, are you willing to go through all that in order to reach that thing you are praying for? How bad do you want it? Are you willing to be patient, and endure like a good soldier? Are you willing to pray AND listen? Are you willing to submit your will and your pride to the Lord and allow Him to lead you? Can you decrease the pride of self so that He can increase within you and strengthen you. So you can "go through" those less desirable things and times without falling apart?
Some of those packages that I have received in my entire lifetime were absolutely NOT wrapped the way I ever expected it to be. But I promise you, I understand the value of each and every one of them now. And I would not trade in the memory of the ugly wrapper that my father used for those Christmas gifts. That ugly wrapper reminded me that someone used what they loved in order to present to me what I had been asking for.
I love you all and I pray that you are all doing well and are blessed! And I pray that you all find how to get yourselves in line to receive your blessings that you have been praying for!!
Which brings me to this story. When I was a kid, Christmas was my favorite holiday. It still is, but for a very different reason. I can remember being 8, 9, 10, even 13 knowing that I may not see much under the tree the whole month coming up to Christmas, but on Christmas morning, Santa always came through. I knew it was going to happen, because Santa had a long history of doing that. It was written in the many many books that I've read. He always came through last minute, overnight, while I slept. Then as usual, it happened. I woke up to find tons of gifts, big packages and small packages. Colorful packages, pastel colored packages..... and as it happened every year, there were some boxes that appeared with the oddest of wrappers. There were packages wrapped in newspapers. Some of those were even the best packages. Over the years as my sister and I grew up, we came to realize those were the last minute gifts were the ones our father would get us in those late night, last minute trips to the mall. And since they were his last minute items, he would wrap them in what he had available to wrap them with. And it was always newspaper. I imagine that so many people would think "man, he couldn't even stop at the dollar store to get some wrapping paper to wrap it? Was he that lazy? Or maybe he didn't care about that and wanted to just have it over with?" Oh how easily someone's negative thoughts can assume things from an appearance.
Then I also remembered, the newspaper wasn't anything wonderful to look at. I don't remember if I saw the funnies, the daily horoscope, or even the classifieds. It was the newspaper. Now that I'm older and I think back, man, the newspaper is depressing. Especially if you think about it in todays world. There are crimes, deaths, warnings, just all sorts of fear invoking topics and truly depressing things going on that is reported in a newspaper.
Then God reminded me how I'm always asking Him for this and that and the other. And sometimes I just don't seem to receive what I asked for. So I asked the Lord, God you reminded me of Christmas, and now you are reminding me of how I still haven't gotten that thing/those things I've asked you about. What in the world is the link between the 2? Or am I just bugging, thinking about too many random things again?
Then I got it. Sometimes we pray for a blessing "for Christmas". But sometimes, some of those blessings aren't wrapped the way that we expect them to be. They don't come in the right package. The outside might be sad and depressing. You have always received the other blessings JUST LIKE you expected. Wrapped in the right packaging. With the beautiful bow even. But somehow, we tend to devalue the less appealing ones because they weren't put together the way we thought it was supposed to be.
In case you don't understand, you know I can always give you an example. I have been praying on some career moves. But somehow, I have not been able to move. Maybe I've been waiting for another manager to find me and come to my desk and say "Ana I have an opening in my group that I'd like for you to consider.". Or maybe I've been waiting for an email that says "Ana, I've worked with your group and with you personally on so many accounts, I have a need in my group that I'd like to talk to you about." or whatever it is, maybe I've been waiting for it to fall into my lap. But maybe, just maybe, the blessing is not wrapped up the way I want it to be. Maybe this is a case where the wrapping is not as attractive as I would like for it to be. Maybe the career move is not directly up. Maybe my career move is that "less than desirable" lateral move that gives me the additional training that I will need to require in order to be where i want to be. Maybe its the lateral move that puts me in line with the blessing that the Lord wants to give me that I've been burning up His ears about. Maybe it's that newspaper wrapped blessing that looks like the thing you would not pick up first, over all those other beautifully wrapped gifts, but it's the one that puts you directly where you need to be in order to get what you want.
How many of you might be asking for the same thing/things over and over. And praying without ceasing is correct. It's what you are supposed to do. But you need to be sure you are also listening for the answers. For direction. Sometimes its not going to fall into your lap the way you want it to. Sometimes He needs for you to shift some things and get yourself in line again so that you can line up with the blessing that He is trying to give you.
Sometimes the blessing is not on a direct route. Sometimes that blessing can only be obtained by taking the less pretty trip down I forgive you lane, followed by some success. Only to find yourself racing down a slippery slope of pride because of that success. But you still haven't received that thing that you prayed for, so you are still praying although you are thankful for what you have received so far. You might not yet be lined up to receive it. There may be a few more bumpy roads to travel. A few more less desirable packages that you need to receive before the true blessing that He has in store for you appears.
The question is, are you willing to go through all that in order to reach that thing you are praying for? How bad do you want it? Are you willing to be patient, and endure like a good soldier? Are you willing to pray AND listen? Are you willing to submit your will and your pride to the Lord and allow Him to lead you? Can you decrease the pride of self so that He can increase within you and strengthen you. So you can "go through" those less desirable things and times without falling apart?
Some of those packages that I have received in my entire lifetime were absolutely NOT wrapped the way I ever expected it to be. But I promise you, I understand the value of each and every one of them now. And I would not trade in the memory of the ugly wrapper that my father used for those Christmas gifts. That ugly wrapper reminded me that someone used what they loved in order to present to me what I had been asking for.
I love you all and I pray that you are all doing well and are blessed! And I pray that you all find how to get yourselves in line to receive your blessings that you have been praying for!!
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