Eagerly Awaiting Special Gifts

In the morning, O Lord you hear my voice.  In the morning, I order my prayer to you and eagerly watch.  Psalm 5:3

This is one of my favorite pictures.  It is a picture of our oldest daughter at age 5 who was asleep at the top of the stairs while eagerly awaiting the start of Christmas morning.  Note the clock sitting next to her at the top of the stairs.  When we were young, the anticipation of opening gifts on Christmas morning was overwhelming.  Our kids were never taught about Santa Claus.  The meaning of Christmas was to celebrate the birth of our Savior who gives the greatest gift of all.  Nevertheless, it would be wrong for me to say that they didn’t make a special deal out of all of the opening of the gifts and our kids were no different in that heightened anticipation.  I am sure along the way, our kids may have been disappointed in some of their gifts, they sure didn’t let on. 

So why is it that we don’t look at a heavenly Father who loves to lavish gifts on His children in the same way?  We think of God as a cosmic killjoy who wants to disappoint us.  Sometimes we want to use reverse psychology on God and say “Well God really didn’t want me to have this” and secretly hope we get it anyway.  God says He will give us the “desires of our heart” (Psalm 37:4).  I am sure not all gifts requested by my children were received.  For example, a pony would probably be out of bounds.  We know other gifts may not be completely right for our children.  We never gave our kids video games because rightly or wrongly we didn’t think it was something they should have (I am not bemoaning other parents who give video games).  God has perfect knowledge of what is right or wrong for us.

Can we trust a heavenly Father who gave his only Son as a perfect gift to smother us with love and gifts?  Can we wait in eager anticipation as to what He is going to do?  As I get older, I find myself eagerly awaiting what God is going to do in my life.  That “He who began a good work in me will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).