When you wake each morning, what is your first thought of the day?
How many of us have this as our first thought, “This is the promised day”.
Perhaps we do if for some reason it is a special day, like a wedding, a party, or a holiday, but what about an ordinary day.
What if we woke up every day and knew it was a special day, that is was the promised day, a promised day because it will be overflowing with gifts pre-wrapped and prepared just for us.
When my brother, sister, and I were little, our parents went all out for Christmas morning. We didn’t have a lot of money, and years later I discovered they had borrowed money for a few of those first Christmas mornings; the knowledge of which now adds even more sparkle to the memory.
The first hint of what was to come were the lights of the tree shining under my bedroom door when I woke up long before dawn. Jumping out of bed, I would peek out to see the tree bright and flashing in the living room. I would stand for a long time in my door frame looking at the promise of presents hidden under its branches.
It was so magical and beautiful that I can still see it as if it was happening now all these years later.
Once our parents came out of their bedroom, I could leave my door frame and run to the tree. It sparkled and glimmered with lights, tinsel, and little things that went around and around with the heat from a bulb.
It was overflowing with packages of all shapes, sizes, and colors, all speaking of the promise of thoughtful giving.
We followed an unwrapping present tradition that I continued with my children. The presents were unwrapped one person and one present at a time. We took turns as we went around the room.
This way the whole family could participate in the joy of the gift, and the recipient had time to savor it and the feeling behind it that came from the giver.
Although I remember only a few of the actual presents, what I do remember is that every year there was a present for me that I didn’t know I wanted. However, when I saw it I knew it was perfect and I was grateful for it with all my heart.
The giver knew me even better than I knew myself.
Each day of our lives is really a day just like that, if we looked with the eyes of a child.