EVERYDAY CAN BE YOUR BIRTHDAY

“I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers”
Matthew 23:34

I was recently reading a book from Debbie Macomber in which she tells a story.  A woman dies and goes to Heaven.  When she gets there, Saint Peter takes her on a tour.  First, she meets all her family and friends and then she goes on to see an utterly spectacular place.  There were no words to describe the beauty of it all. As the tour was ending, she noticed a huge door with a gold padlock.  The woman was curious and wanted to see what was in the room.  At first, St. Peter was reluctant but finally gave in to the pleas by the woman.  As the door opened, the woman was stunned.  The room was piled with millions of beautifully wrapped presents.  She was awestruck.  As she meandered through the room, she became very excited as she noticed that her name was on many of the gifts.  “Do I get to open these gifts now that I’m in Heaven?”   St. Peter looked and her with a saddened face.  “No, these are not Heavenly gifts.  These were gifts for you while you were on Earth,” he replied.  The woman didn’t understand.  “But I never received them.  Why weren’t these gifts sent?”  “You just don’t understand,” St. Peter sighed.  “Every gift was sent to you.  These are the ones that were unopened.   God sends us many gifts but often, people fail to recognize them so they remain unopened.”

I love this story.  It reminds me of all the people and things God sends us to help us on our spiritual paths, yet we fail to recognize them because our eyes are not open.  Instead of letting God lead the way, we try so hard to control our destinies that we miss out.  For today, keep your eyes wide open because a gift will definitely show up.   As Debbie Macomber says, “In real life, God’s gifts don’t always come wrapped in pretty packages. That’s why they’re not always easy to recognize.  Some actually come looking like challenges and often these gifts are people wrapped.”

It’s time to enjoy God’s gifts in life.  It’s easy, it’s free, it’s exciting.  Everyday can be your birthday. You might even want to keep a journal and record all the gifts that come your way.  I think you too will be awestruck.