Beyond the Packaging

I like giving gifts to people. I, however, hate wrapping – which is why I’m eternally grateful to the genius(es) who made gift bags culturally acceptable. Why am I talking about (gift) wrapping outside of the Holiday Season? Glad you asked. I was meditating earlier in the day and I was troubled by how so many people can miss out on what seems to be an obvious blessing on their lives. To be completely honest, it’s not just other people, but the author included.

 

I actually thought about how many relationships, opportunities, and other things I missed out on by being close-minded, short-sighted, or not trusting discernment. In cases like these, our natural eyes tend to give us only a portion of the story. That’s the difference between sight and vision. Sight allows you to see the surface and perceive what’s tangible, but vision allows you to perceive the intangible.

 

I’m a believer that “presentation matters,” but presentation plays to one’s sight. If what’s being presented isn’t appealing to the sight, it can be easily discarded, overlooked, devalued, or perceived as useless (ouch). How would we feel if God operated in that manner? Thankfully for us, He doesn’t (1 Samuel 16:7).

 

Looking back over my childhood, some of the more teachable moments happened in the grocery store. This particular grocery store offered discounts to people who bought scratched and dented food (dented cans and boxes that didn’t compromise the food itself). The cans may have looked ugly, but the food inside was delicious (except the tuna – yuck!). Those dented cans and boxes remind me of people: If we can get past the exterior of some, we can truly be blessed by what they provide from the inside.

 

I began to wonder: How many people have I thrown away, looked past, or not given the proper opportunities to – all because of the packaging???

 

My prayer is that God allows me to be more discerning, to see past the packaging and appreciate the innate gifts that God has placed in each of His creations.

 

What did you think about this morning?

 

-MB

God is Faithful (Part 1 of...)

There’s nothing more I love, on this side of glory, than my son, Benjamin. Since he’s been part of this life, he’s been the most awesome blessing. I’ve seen him grow and develop and he’s changed so much in just 14 months. Today was a real test for my baby boy (and me). He had surgery and nervous doesn’t even begin to describe how I was feeling early this morning. I pledged to make it my number one priority to protect him as best as I can, but even Dad has cracks in his solid exterior. This morning was one full of prayer, waiting, and fighting negative thoughts.

 

My big boy came through the surgery with flying colors (a little groggy from the anesthesia and hungry, but he handled it like a boss, according to his attending nurses). Buda’s surgery was a test of my faith, as I really didn’t want to go through with it, but God showed me, once again, that it’s He that ultimately protects Buda.

 

As Christians, our faith should be steeped in God, not in medicine, surgery, or ideologies – those are just tools used by us, under God’s hand to accomplish His will.

 

I’m thankful to God that Buda is resting comfortably and eating applesauce. Soon, he’ll be back to ripping and running – as I’ve been accustomed to over the last couple months. Soon, my nerves will return to normal baseline. Shoutout to Buda’s mom for watching over him. We feud and fuss, but after serving God, Buda is our priority. Keep our little guy in your prayers.

 

-MB