13 Mar
And the Winner is…
I had many hobbies and amusements growing up. I enjoyed hockey, guitar, PS2 etc. However, of all my pastimes—I won’t lie—my favorite was tormenting my little sister Carrie. Being three years younger, she was the perfect target for my cruel shenanigans.
For many years our house served as the battlefield for our ongoing wars. As we grew older, I began to grow painfully aware that my sister, tapping into her natural feminine powers, was becoming more clever and skilled in her pranks than I was. So after some devious scheming I devised the ultimate escapade to remind Carrie that I was still master
On Christmas Eve I put my malicious plan into motion. I purchased the largest, blackest chunk of coal I’d ever seen. I put it in a box and proceeded to wrap it in the brightest, prettiest, pinkest, sparkled wrapping paper I could find. Grabbing a marker I scribbled: “To Carrie, Love Santa Claus!”
I waited patiently, and then… under the cover of night I crept downstairs and strategically placed the gift under the tree. I triumphantly marched back to my room. Christmas morning I woke up extra early and raced downstairs; I wanted to arrive before Carrie so I didn’t miss my victorious moment! Soon she came running down the stairs and excitedly went straight for my bait. Everything was going according to plan! I closed my eyes and prepared for the chorus of sobs I was sure to hear. I pumped my fists up in victory as she let out a shriek, “Santa!…” she yelled out, “…Thank you!”
Those two words hit me like a ton of coal, I opened my eyes just in time to see her pull out two crisp twenty dollar bills (they looked a lot like the $40 that had unexplainably gone missing from my wallet that morning). Shocked and confused, I struggled for words. Looking around the room for answers my eyes fell on my stocking. Reaching inside I pulled out the lump of coal!
My family burst into laughter and my face went bright red. It was then that I noticed my dad grinning at me. As our eyes met, he gave a shrug of supposed innocence.
In the Bible, Joseph’s hardship was also initiated by his older brothers, but God would use his difficulties to elevate him and save the lives of thousands (Genesis 37-50). God can take any difficult situation in our lives and also use it for good. Just as Carrie had her father watching out for her, ready to turn that coal into a great gift, I’ve discovered that we have our Heavenly Father watching out for us, too. He always has a way of using our hardest situations to accomplish some of his greatest works. I’m so thankful for that.
Next time we face a hardship, let’s not get discouraged. Instead, let’s try and see it through Gods perspective. Let’s allow Him to take those painful events and use them for His good.
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Filed in: Crisis, Family, Trust
About the Author
Daniel Blackaby is a second year college student at Mount Royal College, in Calgary, AB. His biggest passions in life are music and literature. He plays guitar in a Christian rock band and also plays bass guitar, drums, and keyboard.
Apart from playing music, Daniel loves to listen to all types of music and has over 700 CDs on his iTunes. He admits he’s a huge nerd who loves to read and enjoys collecting classic literature. He loves to hang out and have a good time, but his primary goal is to try and live life to the fullest and glorify God in everything he does. You can contact him by email at boonster@telus.net.
Read more about Daniel here.
