She gave me all the good reasons why she should have them: they fit so well, they hold up nicely, they're very trendy, they were sparkly, and they would go with many different styles and outfits. I listened as she tried her best to convince me these were the ultimate and most wonderful gift.
Not only is she just eleven, she's on the threshold of adolescence, and her foot will likely go through three size-changes in the next six months. Plus, I know her. She loves presents. For some kids, they like quality. For her, she's all about the quantity...and sparkliness. I could envision her on Christmas morning, watching with envy as her siblings opened several gifts. She would quickly open her shoes, maybe have another small gift or two, and then be done. Remorse would set in before Santa had time to hang up his suit.
It's not that I don't want to give her what she wants. Sometimes elaborate gifts have their place. Someday, a $190 pair of shoes might be appropriate. If her foot has stopped growing and she needs to wear a nice pair to the Presidential Inauguration, I could definitely justify it. We'll cross that bridge when we get there, but for now, it's just not best for her.
As we talked, I explained my thoughts. "It's not that I don't want you to have those shoes, but I don't think it's best. I want to see you happy, but sometimes what you think will make you happy, doesn't. Those shoes may make you happy for a short time, but not for long." She sat with her thoughts a minute or two and then relinquished. "Ok, I'll take them off my list." She even went so far as to say, "Mom, I really don't even want to make a list. I just want you to surprise me. I always like what you get me."
In that moment of her trusting me, I wanted to give her those way-too-expensive shoes and then some. She was believing me that I knew best for her. She was giving up list-making and self-indulgence for whatever I chose for her. For the moment, at least.
This very morning I sat before my heavenly Father and asked Him for several things. I laid my list before Him and poured my heart out about why He should grant me what I'm asking. He listened as I pleaded and reasoned. I told Him my greatest wants and why they would fit me so well right now. I asked for good things, nothing trendy or sparkly.
And then he spoke to me.
Right straight from His Word in Luke 11, He spoke directly to me. In the very passage where Jesus is teaching His disciples on prayer, he jaunts off on eggs and scorpions. I never really thought I would learn from eggs and scorpions in the bible, but they couldn't have been more timely to me today.
He says, "You fathers - if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him."
I read it and read it again.
Fish.
Snake.
Egg.
Scorpion.
Sinful people.
You know how to give your children good gifts...
If I can be gut honest, I sat right in my chair and told God I felt like He had handed me a few snakes and scorpions along the way. He wasn't offended. He knew I was thinking it. Sometimes it feels like I ask and ask for the good thing, and I get handed the thing that bites instead.
I went back to the passage to try to grasp the whole lesson Jesus was teaching.
There's an analogy in the verses that come right before the egg and scorpion monologue. It involves asking your neighbor for loaves of bread at midnight. The whole scenario is a little far-fetched in our world of 24-hour supermarkets, but the point is made just the same: keep on asking.
"If you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence." (emphasis mine)
And then He goes on to say "keep on asking....keep on seeking...keep on knocking..."
When the answer continues to be a no, know that the real answer is to keep on asking.
Continue in your shameless persistence.
And after continuing in persistent asking, understand that the God of the universe, your Heavenly Father, doesn't just long to dupe you. He doesn't hand you wretched and dangerous gifts of snakes and scorpions just for the fun of it. He doesn't sit up on His throne pulling off the ultimate practical jokes. That's not who He is.
He wants us to trust Him to hand us exactly what we need at exactly the right time. Sometimes what we think will make us happy, isn't best for us. In trusting Him as our Father, the One who loves us more than we love and care for our own children, we can rest.
Our shameless persistence can be accompanied by reckless peace.
So, if He doesn't give us snakes and scorpions in response to our requests, if we can trust Him not to dupe us, if we can know that He isn't just having a field day with our hearts.....then what does He give us? That's the question that stumped me the most. That one, along with ones like these.
What about the friend who didn't have her marriage restored?
What about the parents that didn't get their child healed?
What about the lady who didn't get her terrible illness taken away?
What about the couple that still hasn't been able to have a baby?
What about those prayers that seem to have ended in snake-like answers.
I turned back to the Word, read it over and over, and finally zoomed in and discovered the key.
"So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him."
His gift to us, those of us who believe in Him as Christ, is the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The gift we receive is the Giver Himself.
He provides for us by giving Himself.
His direction.
His comfort.
His strength....all looming and living within us, as a part of us.
What more could we ask for?
It's the ultimate provision.
The persistent asking followed by peaceful trusting equals the ultimate provision.
Jesus was showing His disciples (and us) how to pray by telling this story. But more than that, he was showing us how to trust, how to wait, and how to accept the Gift He gives us daily.
Like I know my daughter, He knows us. He knows our quirks and our fancies. He doesn't give us everything we ask for because He knows it's simply not wise or best. He discerns and knows better than we do. He longs for us to ask and ask, but ultimately to trust and say to Him, "whatever you think, because you always give me the best gift."
What my daughter doesn't know is that her dad and I are already planning something better for her. She's been asking for something besides shoes for a long time and we've consistently said no. At the time, she was too young and it wasn't a great fit. She's kept asking, and we've kept saying no. But now it's time. She'll be thrilled on Christmas morning, and I already look forward to giving it to her. She won't be disappointed.
If I know what's best for my own daughter, how much more does my Heavenly Father know what's best for me?
He gives us exactly what we need at exactly the right time. Even when it seems like He's not even listening. Even when He seems distant and impersonal. When it seems like everyone around you is getting a pair of those trendy, expensive shoes and you're not, He is listening.
Keep asking Him to give you the best gifts. The gifts of peace, contentment, wisdom, and discernment.
Keep seeking Him and pursuing Him with your whole heart. He longs for you to know Him more.
Keep knocking on the door that leads to Life, abundant life that comes from following Him.
In doing so, He will not be slow in providing Himself to you.
His peace will flood you.
His presence will astound you.
You will not be disappointed.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17
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