“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8)
The GI Joe M3 Tank Destroyer. It came with a 12” GI Joe action figure, a 75 mm gun with elevation recoil action and operating breech. It had a working rear door, removeable gas can, flexible rolling rear tracks and the tools of any good military action figure, an axe and a shovel. It was everything a 10 year-old boy could hope for and as I listened to the pastor describe this Christmas gift he had dreamed of so many years ago, I could see his face light up, and the excitement of miniature military glory welled up inside of him all over again. He recounted his pleas to his parents, his letters to Santa, his frantic screams to his mother in the kitchen that would have her scrambling to rush and stop the blood that must be hemorrhaging from somewhere to elicit such a cry, only to find him pressed against the TV and pointing excitedly to the scenes of luckier boys than himself playing with the ultimate destroyer on the GI Joe commercial.
On Christmas morning, paper and boxes flew as he desperately sorted through new socks, a baseball bat, and a pair of pajamas to find the toy he had hoped and prayed to receive. It wasn’t there. He didn’t notice in all his hysteria, his father quietly slip out of the room and head for the garage. As he sat amongst everything that signified his dashed hopes and dreams, a black Lab puppy came bounding into the room. Our pastor smiled as he recalled Chance’s entrance and wondered if there was some misunderstanding on exactly what he meant when he pleaded for a “destroyer”. The puppy shredded paper, ran off with the newly opened socks, and preceded to do what puppies do. Although he was happy with his new puppy, it didn’t come with elevation recoil action.
It wasn’t what he wanted.
God is the master of patiently listening to our wants and desires. He sifts through them and some he blesses us with and some he does not. God’s focus is not what we want but what we need. “...for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matt. 6:8) Our pastor would discover over time that the puppy he named Chance, may not have been what he wanted then as a 10 year-old boy but over the years, this dog would fill his heart like no toy ever could. God’s desire is to fill our lives with abundant blessings that don’t always come in the form of worldly gadgets.
After all, how many toys that he would absolutely die without were already gathering dust under his bed? How many cars were lying at the bottom of his toy chest with 3 wheels and a broken door? They were all begged for and dreamed about but never quite followed through with the limitless joy and entertainment that the commercials promised. God’s promises are true. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future.’” (Jer. 29:11) The hope we have in Him is a hope that fulfills. His ultimate gift to us was his very own son, Jesus Christ. And that gift came so that we may have everything we need. Jesus himself said, “but few things are needed--or indeed only one.” (Luke 10:42) Jesus. He sacrificed all to give us what we need. Not a better car, a bigger house, although those things are nice and are blessings to us, but they are above and beyond what we need or even deserve.
Chance lived well into the pastor’s adult life. This warm and loyal black lab was a gift that continued to give when all the other toys and electronics had worn out, broke, or just weren’t cool anymore. It was a warm body that gave comfort through storms that raged outside his bedroom window or inside his heart. Like the great Comforter, who promises to never leave us or forsake us, that dog was an ever present symbol of love and unconditional affection. The puppy that bounded in wasn’t asked for but aren’t those sometimes God’s greatest gifts to us? The one’s that come unexpected and undeserved? When we really think about it, aren’t the things that we desire often empty and disappointing? Trust that God knows what you need. Be grateful. Know that God hears your prayers and will meet your needs. And don’t be surprised if those “needs” come wrapped in fur and wagging a tail.
