Many Christmas ago I was getting very excited about the season and about getting a present I really wanted: a big doll with big beautiful eyes. I dreamed about that doll and imagined myself holding her and playing with her. I really wanted that doll. As Christmas neared and I studied the boxes under the tree, I could tell the doll wasn’t one of the presents. It was a pretty big doll and most of the presents were smaller. One day while I was talking with my father, I mentioned again how much I wanted that doll. He finally said, “well, I can give you the doll or give you what I already bought you.” I got quiet thinking about what he had just said. Now I was curious, but I also wanted that doll. Then my dad said: “ Will you trust me to get you something I believe you’ll like even if it’s not on your wish list?” I gave my dad a big smile, hugged him, and told him that yes, I would trust him. How could I not? He was my dad. He loved me. I knew he would give me something I would enjoy. My problem though is that now it was even harder to wait for Christmas!
After what seemed like an eternity, Christmas Eve arrived and the time to open the presents. Finally my dad picked up a box from under the tree and placed it in my hands. It was my present. I knew it wasn’t the doll, but what could it be? I quickly unwrapped that box and when I finally saw what was inside, my eyes got bigger than the eyes of my desired doll, and my smile almost could not fit my face. My dad had given me a computer! My very first computer. I still remember it well. It consisted of a keyboard that I connected to the TV and a tape player with tapes filled with interesting “apps.” I was overjoyed and got to spend lots of time typing, playing games, and creating my own computer programs. It was so, but so much better than that doll I thought I wanted so bad. I was so glad I had decided to trust my father and wait for what he had for me instead of pressing for what I thought I wanted. What he gave me was way better than what I could ever imagine!
Our Heavenly Father asks the same question to us: “do you trust Me to give you something I know you'll like, even if it's not on your wish list? Will you trust that in my love, I will put in your life only what you would want if you could see it through my eyes?” Matthew 7:11 explains how God gives good gifts to His children. In Malachi 3:10 God asks us to trust Him with everything we have and He will open the floodgates of heaven, pouring unmeasurable blessings upon us. In our human vision, it’s easy to think that what we want is the best for us. However, God wants us to trust Him with all our heart, rest in Him, not pushing our way for what we think is best, but trust that He will always give us what we truly want and need. Will you trust in God? He’s your Father. He loves you. Your true strength comes from fully trusting in Him. (Isaiah 30:15.) And when you experience the results of trusting in God, you will be amazed at how perfect God’s gifts are. They are better than anything you can ever imagine! Then I believe that you too will experience smiles that will barely fit your face.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5,6
