“Happy Birthday, Gabriel!”

(This story was first posted on October 24, 2007)

Well, five years ago today, I held Gabriel in my arms for the very first time. For 9 long months Cindy was the only one who got to hold him, but on October 24, 2002, it was my turn. Wow! What a joy he has become to our family. Yes, God still does miracles today!

Last night after wrapping Gabriel’s present, Cindy made the mistake of letting him carry it up the stairs. Along the way, he conveniently and rather sneakily (Is that a word?) poked a hole in one side. Later he came to my office and asked to play with my flashlight. Being too busy to care about a flashlight, I happily turned it over to him and he left the room.

It must have been a guilty conscience, but a few minutes later he sauntered back into my office and returned the flashlight. While putting it back, I asked him what he had been doing. His complexion changed and he started talking rapidly. He told me about the hole and then he told me that he had been using the flashlight to make sure that the hole wasn’t too big. At this point I think he knew that I was suspicious of his motives. He led me out of the office and knelt down by the package. “See, Dad, the hole’s not that big,” he said with a nervous tone. Then, without thinking, he thrust his hand into the side of the package just to prove his point. Well, a great preacher, he may one day become, but a defense lawyer, he is not. As he thrust his hand into the side of that package it kept going until he was up to his elbow in birthday present. Then, in another attempt to cover himself once more, he said, “I don’t really know what it is, Dad. It just feels fuzzy like a teddy bear to me.” (Note: The gift was in fact a stuffed animal.)

Well, to make a long story longer, I cleared a spot on a top shelf, placed the “holy package” on it and then sternly warned him to leave it alone until his birthday. As far as I know, the sneaky little guy made no further attempts to unwrap his birthday present early.

Devotional

What should this little event tell us about this year’s Christmas presents? All I know is that it could be a long, hard December.

Anticipation, do you remember lying awake on Christmas Eve dreaming about the next morning? Do you ever get that excited about Heaven? Sometimes I really want to open that package early. Don’t you?

2 Peter 3:13

“Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

Philippians 2:20-21

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”

Note: Sharing these Sonny Day Devos is a great way to open doors for conversations about God and His values. Just follow these simple steps:

Print it off!
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Prepare for conversation!

OnOurWayToHeavenThe story above was taken from the book, “A Funny Thing Happened On Our Way to Heaven” by Sonny Childs. In the spirit of those chicken soup books, this collection of 52 short stories is sure to inspire.

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