We were at the beach, and my oldest son was collecting seashells. I asked him what he was going to do with all of them. He said he was going to make a necklace for a special girl. I thought of all the little girls in his circle of friends, and one in particular came to mind. I asked, “Does her name start with a C ?”
He said, “No, her name starts with an L .”
I went through the short list of little girl L names I knew, even mentioning some of the mommies with L names. But with a smile, he said no to each one. Then I thought of my name. Although my name is Alisa (uh-lĭs-uh), my husband usually takes out the beginning A and calls me (lĭs-uh).
I called my son close to me and whispered in his ear, “Is it lĭs-uh ?” He smiled and blushed and nodded his head yes. I gave him a big hug, and all that day I felt like a treasure. My son may have confused my name, but it didn’t affect how I felt about his eagerness to bless me.
Isn’t it beautiful how the love we have will overlook the small mistakes and focus on the show of devotion?
However, when I thought about this, I remembered that early in my marriage I was not very good at forgiving oversights. My husband would go out of his way to do something nice, but many times it wasn’t according to my anticipation. I would zero in on what I didn’t like, instead of appreciating the beauty of his sacrifice.
After a time, my husband stopped trying to do special things to spoil me. I didn’t blame him, because I had filled his gift-offerings with negative energy. Why would he continue giving when he could never get it right? I quickly discovered my mistake and worked hard to reverse the damage I created. I changed my perspective and openly accepted everything he did for me and gave me. Moreover, I started to realize that I enjoyed his taste and ideas. Now my husband rocks at giving!
We live in a very self-indulged society. We are used to getting everything exactly how we want it; and if we don’t, we show our discontent. We are swimming in blessings, and we don’t realize that everything we receive is a gift. When we start being picky, we might need to shed off some pounds of selfishness and let go of our self-entitled attitude.
The gift is not as important as the person who gives it.
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4.11 NIV).
Blessings to you!
Alisa Hope Wagner, FaithImagined.com
Alisa,
Thanks for the reminder. We don’t always get what we want the way we want it. We must learn to be thankful for everything.
God doesn’t always give us what we want when we want it nor the way we want it. We must learn, like Paul, to be content in all situations, with everything. God gives us what we need when we need it!
Beautifully written, Alisa! So true and convicting!
I needed this! I am reminding myself of this verse
What a heartfelt story!
Great story and something we all need to remember every day. Thanks.
Perfect timing for the start of a New Year. I tend to get so focused on what I want to happen that I forget what I already have. Thanks!
This was a hard pill for me to swallow. When my husband told me that I’m never satisfied, I was floored and speechless. Instead of bashing him, I took inventory. Maybe there was something there that I didn’t recognize. One thing I did recognize is that though I didn’t ask my husband for much, the things that I did desire were more than he wanted to focus on (because of money pressures). He’s the only provider (monetarily) in our home and a new high-end cell phone was not a necessity. 😉
Oh my Alisa,
Boy was my heart pierced when I read about being more grateful for all the good God has given us rather than focusing on the negatives. I used to do that all the time and still struggle not to do it now. I’m thankful for God’s Holy Spirit’s constant refining and discipline!
Recently my oldest son (18) played a song for me entitled “Song for Mama”. He loves it and has gotten it memorized and just thinks its the most fabulous son ever! I struggled with rejoicing with him b/c I didn’t like the band (Boyz to Men) and I didn’t like some of the lines as I feel that certain things should only be said about our Savior and not about any of us.
I prayed and prayed for God to help me see the heart of His offering of love rather than turn this into another teaching lesson. After much prayer, the Lord helped me to thank my sweet son and tell him what I liked about the song rather than what I didn’t like. 🙂
Love you & am so thankful for your tendered heart for Christ Jesus our Lord!
Sunny
“We are swimming in blessings, and we don’t realize that everything we receive is a gift.” Beautiful.
Alisa, I was looking for something today as I was feeling slightly off centre. I just read your story and it was exactly what I needed. I didn’t realise I needed it until I read it. Thank you. I am now going to go and spend some creative time with my little ones rather than tick off my ‘to do’ list.