Back to Basics

This season provides a wonderful opportunity to show our appreciation of those around us who are near and dear. Gift giving is a top priority. Some have unlimited funds and can shop till they drop while others take time to bake yummy goodies or make something special.

When I was little, I wrote the annual letter to Santa asking for all the things a little girl could want, from a Nancy Nurse doll to roller skates. I have such fond memories of running to the tree to find out what my letter writing yielded. (The days of running to the tree on Christmas morning are pretty well over for this grandma, though I look forward to the look of expectation and excitement on my granddaughter’s face.)

While saying my prayers the other night I was struck by an uncomfortable realization. I realized my prayers were very similar to those things I asked for from Santa. Instead of “Please give me a Barbie,” I have prayed, “Please give us good weather for this weekend’s event.” Whereas past letters to Santa may have read, “Please bring me a bike,” my prayers have included pleas for financial stability.

Though I was taught early on that the Lord’s Prayer, which starts “Our Father, who art in heaven…” is a template for how to pray, I have somehow forgotten those basic instructions in my eagerness to tell God exactly what he should be doing for me. A little pompous, don’t you think?

I believe that our lives are lived like a book with each page being turned one at a time. I think God, on the other hand, sees our lives as a road map. The whole thing is laid out from beginning to end.

I remember a couple of years after our son Patrick was born and Steve and I were ready to grow our family. Unfortunately, that didn’t appear to be in the cards. My frustration, while understandable, shook me to my core. I was mad that God wasn’t giving me what I wanted, what I deserved. Looking back I see that apparently my timing was just off. Not only were we blessed with one more baby, but three more eventually came our way.

I guess that’s where faith comes in. While there may not be anything wrong in praying for something, perhaps tempering those requests with “Thy will be done” is a pretty good idea. Understanding, too, that what we pray for might not, in the scheme of things, be what is best for us reminds us that we’re not privy to the road map of our life. We only get a page at a time.

Merry Christmas. I hope the pages of your life are filled with joy, health, prosperity and peace.

  robin goldsworthy