At a donut store that my family likes to frequent, the server will often give my kids a donut hole along with whatever donut they choose. The donut hole isn’t part of the order – it is just an extra bonus that the store gives the kids because they are kind, and they likely know it will make the kids smile. Occasionally, the donut hole is not given, and my kids are tempted to complain about what is “missing.” Of course, I explain to them that it wasn’t part of the order, and therefore we shouldn’t expect it. Still, their crestfallen faces indicate that although they understand the words that I’m saying, they don’t completely buy the rationale.
While it is easy to shake my head and smile to myself at my kids’ unreasonableness in expecting something that they have only received out of kindness and generosity, I find that I am tempted to do the same thing. In His grace, God has provided abundant blessings in my life – even beyond the greatest blessing that He can provide – the gift of a reconciled relationship with Him. Furthermore, while I deserve none of this generosity, God not only gives it, but He doesn’t give me what I do deserve – which is eternal punishment and separation from Him. However, much like my kids are tempted to overlook the blessing of getting a donut, and instead focus on the “missed blessing” of not getting a donut hole, I can be tempted to ignore all the many gifts that God has given me, and focus on the one gift that I want, but that He has decided, in His wisdom, not to give. Much like my children can grow discontent over a blessing that is not given, and is not theirs to expect, I can be tempted towards discontentment when what I want – and what I think would be good – isn’t mine.
The reality is that, if we are God’s beloved children, we can expect that He will give us good gifts. Scripture makes it clear that our Heavenly Father will not only give us these gifts, but He delights in doing so. If we know this about our good God, can we not expect that if He chooses to forgo something specific that we desire, that it is because He knows it is not best? Can we not trust that if our Father takes joy in pouring out His blessings on our lives, that He may not give what we expect, but He will give us what He knows what we need, and what will be for our ultimate good?
This is not easy. From our temporal perspective we can think we know what is best and struggle when God choose something different. But the Christian must strive for an eternal perspective. And from the vantage point of Heaven, we can trust that there is full confidence that God knows best, and that His love is extravagant and His generosity abundant.
So as we seek to grow in our walk with Him, may we not be so arrogant as to tacitly demand specific expressions of God’s kindness to us. May we not grow discontent when what we have been given is not what we thought we would get. Instead, let us cling to this confidence in God – He loves us more than we know, He will generously give us good gifts, and while they may not be what we expected, they will be more than we desired and all that we need.
