New Bike

 

Chloe received quite the surprise Saturday afternoon. She has been saving her money for this bike, since January. This is a "real" bike with handbrakes and gears. It is blue with polka dotes on it and according to her, matches her eyes.

This bike arrived shortly after a particular grandparent left. (The bike shop delivered it) The mere site of this beauty of a bike evoked tears of joy. Chloe's mouth was on the ground in surprise. Even the sweet lady from the bike shop cried when she saw how happy Chloe was. It was one of the few times Chloe has been completely surprised, she was blown away.

Chad and I were blown away by the generosity of the gift, but even more blown away by her immediate response . She came inside to call and say thank you. When she went upstairs to get her tennis shoes on, we heard this "conversation" coming from upstairs. So we, like all good snoopy parents, crawled half-way up the stairs to listen. She was thanking God for being so good to her and for using this grandparent to give her this bike. She then broke out into praise songs. She was very aware that every good thing comes straight from the Father. She had thanked the earthly giver but she didn't forget to thank the ultimate giver and that just brought tears to my eyes.

We've talked about how extravagant this gift was. It was unexpected and brought great joy. It was a generous, lavish gift just for her. Much like the gift of Jesus. Our God, gave us the most lavish extravagant gift, His only Son. This was a sacrificial gift like none other. His only Son's life. The very thought of it brings chills to my body. I know the joy of giving a gift and what satisfaction it brings when the recipient accepts it with heartfelt gratitude. What it must do for God when someone accepts His gift! Just like this grandparent planned this surprise just for Chloe and took great joy in her response. God gave the ultimate gift when He sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sin. He takes great joy when we come to that place where we acknowledge Jesus as the one and only way to the Father and accept Jesus, the greatest gift, as our personal Savior. Even the angels rejoice when one comes to this point in life. How great the Father's love for us.