Not long ago I heard Franklin Graham tell the story of a little girl who received one of the Christmas shoe box gifts from Samaritan’s Purse. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this ministry, Samaritan’s Purse delivers gifts packed in shoe boxes to orphans all over the world. Those who wish to participate fill a shoe box with items for one child and then indicate whether the gift is for a girl or boy and the age of the child for whom the gift is intended. Before delivering the boxes, volunteers pray over them and ask that God will put the right box into the hands of the right child.
The particular little girl who was the object of Franklin Graham’s story was an orphan in Eastern Europe. Although most children are thrilled to receive their boxes, when the volunteer handed her a Christmas shoe box gift, she declined to take it. “I don’t want this box,” she said. “The only thing I want is parents.”
The volunteer talked with her for a while and told her that she did not have any parents for her, but she wanted her to take the box anyway. It took some time, with the little girl remaining adamant that she did not want the box, before the volunteer was finally able to convince her to take it.
When the child opened her box, she found an assortment of age-appropriate gifts in which she showed little interest, but when she reached the very bottom, she found a picture of a smiling middle-aged American couple along with their names and address and an invitation to the child who received the box to write them a letter. The little girl and her benefactors began a correspondence that ended a few months later when they adopted her.
What are the chances of finding two parents in the bottom of a shoe box? Practically speaking, not good. Fortunately for us, however, God is not practical. He is able to take a shoe box prepared by a loving Christian couple and send it to a little girl whose life appears to be hopeless. While that box is making its way through numerous stops and transfers, He makes certain that it stays right on course and that those future parents are resting safely in the bottom.
I wonder how many gift boxes from God we have declined during the course of our lives. The problem is that we have preconceived ideas, not only about how things should work out but how they should be worked out. It takes a lot of faith to look for two loving parents in the bottom of a shoe box, but sometimes that is exactly what we have to be willing to do in order to receive God’s blessings.
As Christians we believe that God is able to do anything, and we believe that He loves and cares for us. When the going gets really rough, however, we too often give up because it seems to our carnal minds that the miracle we need is just too big—even for God.
The next time you receive a shoe box gift from God, I hope that you will open it. Even if it doesn’t seem to contain the answer you were seeking, unpack it carefully. You may be surprised to find that the thing you wanted most is tucked safely at the bottom.
For books by Joyce visit her website http://www.frontier2000.net/.
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