Table Salt: Gift of guilt

My parents were away for the evening and a babysitter was the entertainment for my brothers and I. Our excitement was bubbling over with Christmas being only a few days away. We had a live Christmas tree decorated with many handmade items that we had crafted at school and church, ornaments only a mother could love. Gifts were wrapped under the tree and we began inspecting and guessing what might be inside. Between the three of us, our sitter had her hands full, to say the least.

We concocted the idea to convince her to let us open a gift. We could hardly stand looking at the festive, neatly wrapped boxes. With some clever negotiations, she agreed to let us each pick one gift to open. My brothers and I looked at each other, knowing it was wrong, but proceeding anyway. I am not sure that my parents ever asked this particular sitter to come back, assuming she would have even wanted to! The excitement and joy was overwhelming. I unwrapped a purple fuzzy teddy bear that could open its arms and clip around my stereo antenna. This was just what I wanted! I was so pleased with this early gift, that I forced my way into getting.

The time of enjoying the gift came to a halt when my parents walked in the door. Guilt and shame washed over me when we had to explain ourselves. We wanted to blame the babysitter, but truly we were old enough to know what was right. When Christmas Day came, I still felt ashamed of myself for the choice that I had made. Now, as an adult, I can laugh at the predicament, but it is a life lesson I still carry with me. As humans, we want things right now. We crave for things to happen in our time. Often, we desire so desperately for things to look and feel a certain way, that we are not willing to wait. Our timing and God’s timing are completely different from each other. When I opened the purple teddy bear it felt good for a moment, but those feelings quickly faded.

When things are forced by our need for instant gratification, the satisfaction fizzles out as quickly as it comes. However, when we wait for God’s timing, which is perfect, the reward lasts forever. This Christmas, rest in God’s timing. God sent His one and only son to the earth to save us from our sins. Come to the manger and lay your desires down. Pray, wait, and trust that God will give you the perfect package to unwrap, in just the right time. Forcing yourself into something that isn’t part of God’s plan will leave you disappointed and seeking something else. Rest, knowing that Christ has come and He has brought a peace and contentment that cannot be found under the Christmas tree. 

“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act.” Psalm 37:7

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