One day in my early thirties, I felt discouraged about my singleness. At that point, I had never even gone on a date.
But I really, really wanted to go on a date. I wanted to be asked, to be given flowers, to be treated to a nice outing. I wanted a guy to look at me and say, “You look beautiful.” I wanted to feel special.
So I cried out to God, “Lord, will I never get to experience a date? Will I never feel valued in that way?”
In that moment, God gently brought truth to my mind and spirit. He reminded me that He was the one who created me. He knew me better than anyone else in this world. He knew how to make me feel more special, more valued, and more loved than any man ever could.
So I took a deep breath and accepted that truth.
God’s Priceless Gifts
Time and again, God has demonstrated His love to me in both little and big ways. Not long after that moment, I found the ninety-percent-off fall floral sale at Hobby Lobby and filled a whole cart with beautiful artificial flowers. As I arranged those flowers in vases and on shelves in my apartment, I smiled. God had given me an abundance of flowers to enjoy. And they would not fade or die.
Another time, I was struggling emotionally and spiritually. After spending time sitting in the empty sanctuary after church one Sunday, I headed to a Michaels craft store to walk around.
As I looked over a display of discounted picture frames, the Lord reminded me of a beautiful poster I had been given with verses from Ephesians 6. Excitedly, I bought a poster-sized frame along with a couple of large bright artificial flowers. At home, I hot-glued two flowers on the corners of the white frame, put the poster inside, and hung it above the television in my front room. From that day on, I did my devotions with those verses before me, reminding me to take up the shield of faith and fight Satan’s attacks. God provided exactly what I needed at the right time. It was another beautiful gift from my loving Lord.
Acknowledging God’s Gifts
James tells us,
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17).
Once we open our hearts to see every good thing as a gift from our loving God, we see how He values us. What little things have encouraged you or brought you joy lately? Did you see those things as gifts from God Himself? Take a moment to thank God for the little and big blessings you have experienced lately. Joy comes when we recognize God’s goodness and express our gratitude to Him.
Share:
If you were encouraged by this selection from my book Opening the Hope Chest: A Single Girl’s Guide to Homemaking, you may be blessed by the book in its entirety. Check it out on Amazon!
God is so good to give us these seemingly little gifts – yet they aren’t little at all. They remind us of how much he adores us. Thanks for this post.