Can I Keep It?
By Pamela Blattner
“Every good and perfect gift is from above.”
James 1:17
It was a perfect day. Our family was spending time together on the beach in Sheboygan. My grandkids and I sat in the sand at the edge of Lake Michigan playing, the sun warming our skin and the water swirling around us. As I looked down through the water to the smooth rocks at the bottom, I saw a snail come floating into view, perfectly formed. I scooped it up and closed my fingers over it. “Hey”, I said to my grandkids, “I have something for you.” “What is it?” my granddaughter asked. “It’s a surprise,” I said, “You’ll really like it.” I thought she would hold out her hands but she didn’t. Instead, she reached for my hand. She wouldn’t open her own hand, but tried to open my super-tight clenched hand.
After about a minute of her trying to pry my hand open, I gave up and opened my hand. “It’s a snail; can I keep it?” she said. Why hadn’t she been willing to take my word for it and stretch out her hand to receive it? The answer was that she didn’t trust me. She thought I was joking—that I might be trying to convince her so that I could have the fun of grabbing and hugging her like I had in the past. She wanted to be sure that she really was getting something of value before she trusted me.
How many times have I responded to God in the same way? He has promised in His Word to give me so many good things, to pour out blessings on me in abundance. I have to confess that I sometimes doubt His goodness. I want to pry open His hand and see what He’s giving me before I trust Him.
It’s true that sometimes I tease my granddaughter, but I would never draw her into believing me, only to deliberately disappoint her and laugh at her innocent trust. God’s blessings are not always what I want or understand. Sometimes, I can find myself being so disappointed when I fail to receive what I wanted or desperately prayed for. Is God good sometimes and then other times…not so much? No, God never has less than a completely loving thought toward us. Yes, God sometimes doesn’t give us what we want. I’ve had many griefs and disappointments in my life. Some of them have been close to crushing. But it’s because of God’s goodness to me, I was not destroyed. God is good…all the time, and He loves you…..all the time. Will you trust His heart toward you, even when you don’t know what’s in His hand?
GOING DEEPER:
1. In prayer, affirm your trust in Him and His goodness today…regardless.FURTHER READING:
Psalm 119:68; John 3:16 Pam and her husband Richard have two adult children and three grandchildren. She serves at Oakwood through its Prayer Ministry, Rock the Lakes, and Touched Twice Ministry.
