Blew Our Family Away

Blew Our Family Away

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

1 Peter 4:10

The huge box arrived on our doorstep just in time for Christmas. My husband, Mark, and I had decided to give this practical gift to each other since we needed it anyway. I tagged it “To the Hemingway Family. From Santa Claus” and stuck it under the tree.

Brainstorming among themselves, our six children speculated that the large mystery package must be a Shaggy Bag—a round beanbag-type chair, only softer. The kids had pleaded for one after they had seen one at the mall. Mark and I would smile at each other when they said things like “We know it’s a Shaggy Bag. What else could it be?” and “We can hardly wait to open the Shaggy Bag you got us.” When alone, we laughed at how sure they were that the box contained a Bag.

They didn’t know I dislike those things. To me, they look sloppy, take up too much space, and create clutter. Our gift was much better.

On Christmas Day we saved the big box for last. Excited to finally get to open “the Shaggy Bag,” the kids wondered about the color and expressed hope for the gigantic grandpa size. Mark and I kept smiling.

As they ripped off the lid and peered down into the box, they exclaimed, “What? A leaf blower? Are you kidding?” They were mad at us for most of the day.

Mark and I explained that we had never said it was a Shaggy Bag. They complained that a leaf blower was not for the whole family, just for Mark and me.

We said, “No, wait and see; it’s for everyone!”

—Paula Hemingway

Father, help me accept the gifts you think are best for me to use in serving others, instead of what I want for myself. Amen.