I huffed and pulled at my hair, muttering under my breath.
A neighbor’s kid was at it again: stealing things from my garbage. This time it was still-inflated birthday balloons I had thrown away in a cleaning frenzy. Next time, it might be old undies, personal documents, or an empty ketchup bottle.
Flustered, I stared at the little boy running excitedly with his treasured garbage balloons. He was skipping and laughing as if it was his birthday. All I could think was, “Where’s your boundaries, rapscallion?”
That violated feeling permeated my thinking. Then God reminded me He sees our value—and cares. What if Adonai wanted to care for a seven-year-old trash digger? How can God schedule a divine appointment with a child who was scouring the dump—and show the boy his worth? By meeting him in the dump with my thrown-away balloons, of course.
God meets trash diggers in dumps. He even orchestrated my cleaning day to be right before this boy’s trash-picking day. How kind. I knew I had a choice. I could stay in my boundary-broken anger—with my rights violated and oblivious to the care God was showing one of His struggling canaries—or I could allow God to give me eyes to see beyond the problem and to notice Him in this spectacular and annoying moment. The offense could lead me to hide, licking my wounds like a stray dog on the edge of our dump, or to do something.
God can help us see His eternal perspective through our frustrations. I want eyes to see God intervene in the life of a dumpster boy and a stressed out mom. I saw the boy’s face light up over his new-found treasure, and I smiled with him. I couldn’t be mad at such happiness. I don’t want to hold on to my rights and hurts, but rather to ask for eyes that see joy is lighter than bitterness.
When we see people going through our garbage, we don’t have to wring our hands and pull our hair. Instead, we can say, “My garbage was exposed. People can see my secret weaknesses. God give me eyes to see Your love and Your desire in this awkward moment. I know I am loved.”
Ask God to help you see His goodness in all the awkward moments that today brings.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Michelle Heed and her husband of fifteen years are missionaries working with orphans and the vulnerable poor in Tanzania, Africa. She is originally from New York. She and her husband have one adopted daughter and two cats that believe they are people.