“Trusting the Greatest Giver” by Tish Pouliot
Christmas at our house is always full of surprises. My kids love to find gifts wrapped under the tree with their name on them. They have become pretty good at identifying a Barbie box or the shake of Legos.
This year, I decided that I would throw them off the trail by switching the labels. My husband’s gifts are labeled with my daughter’s name and vice versa. My gifts are labeled with my son’s name and vice versa.
Well, as we all know, husbands are notorious for shopping and wrapping gifts last-minute. Day after day, my son has seen gifts placed under the tree with labels for all members of the family except for him. His name is on only one box – a box that with one shake gives it away as a clothing item – not the ideal gift for a 10-year-old boy.
He kept asking me, “Mom, are you sure you have ordered my presents? Am I getting anything this year?”
I caught him looking at the budget app on my phone to see if there was any money left in the Christmas account for us to buy him gifts. He was convinced that we had spent all our money on everyone else.
Finally, I sat him down the other day and looked him in the eyes. “Matt, have we ever forgotten to get you gifts on Christmas? You know us. Do you think we would let Christmas come and not have anything for you? Just trust me, OK?” Little does he know that we have big plans for him this Christmas. All his gifts are right there under his nose, he just doesn’t know it yet.
For 400 years God had been silent. No word from a prophet or messenger. They had the promise of a coming Messiah, but would He really come? Would He show up like He promised He would?
They had to trust the character of the God who rescued them from slavery. He fed them all the way to the Promised Land and destroyed their enemies. He drew them back in, time after time, through their rebellion. He had always been there. If He said He was coming, He was coming.
How many times have I questioned God when everyone else was receiving gifts with their names on them but me? How many times has He sat me down and said, “Tish, I know the plans I have for you…plans to give you hope and a future.”
If He says He has good plans, then I can take it to the bank that He has them. Gifts or no gifts under the tree, His good plans are on the way.
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV
Jesus is coming back. Christmas is coming. All his promises are right there under our nose whether we can see them now or not. The question is, will we trust His character enough to live in His peace in the meantime?
~ Written by Tish Pouliot ~
Tish is a homeschooling mom of two. On a normal week, you can find her hiking in Blevin’s Gap, trying a new recipe from the Pioneer Woman, or singing into her hairbrush. She grew up in Pensacola, FL, went to seminary in New Orleans, LA, and she now resides in Owens Cross Roads, Alabama, with her husband, Brian, and their children.
2 Comments
Tish, thank you for posting your Christmas epiphany! This makes me think of all the emotions I felt when I saw friend after friend get pregnant, or adopt and our nursery remained empty. I struggled to not compare my family with theirs, and to trust God that He would do what is best for our family. Now, every day I am reminded of God’s faithfulness in my 2 sons. Every day, I am so grateful for the 2 boys that God had special for me and Jeff. One from my own womb, the second from the womb of a mom who knew she carried him for someone else. Jesus is worth waiting for. He is so trustworthy.
Wonderful!! Enjoyed reading your post & laughed at your tag switcheroo.