No one listening to Sarah complain would have guessed that every day she was the recipient of more gifts than she could count. When she opened her eyes in the morning, there were always a pile of gifts sitting by her bed. All day long, in fact, she received one gift after another.
Yet strangely enough, Sarah took most of the gifts for granted. The only time she really thought about the gifts was when one didn’t arrive…or when a friend got a gift that seemed better than hers.
On one particular afternoon, Sarah was feeling especially blue. A gift she’d been longing to have for a long time still hadn’t arrived. She was surrounded by all the other gifts that had arrived—yet Sarah wasn’t enjoying them. Instead, she was bemoaning the absence of the one gift she longed for.
Sarah had good reasons to want the gift too. Couldn’t she serve the king—the giver of the gifts—much better if she had that gift? Wasn’t it a good gift she longed for? Indeed, it was! Yet why, then, did it not come?
“Why so downcast, Sarah?” the question came from Sarah’s sister, Mary.
“That gift I’ve been wanting still isn’t here,” Sarah pouted.
Mary paused before replying, weighing her words carefully. “Sarah, do you trust the king?”
The question startled Sarah a little. Of course she trusted the king! Why the king had rescued her from prison. She’d vowed to serve Him with everything within her.
“Of course,” she replied.
“And did you not tell him your life belonged to him?”
Sarah nodded, and Mary continued.
“Then you’ve no cause to complain about the gifts.”
Sarah knew her sister was right. What a fool she’d been! What did it matter if that gift arrived anyway? If she needed this gift to complete the tasks the king had for her, he would send it. If not, then he must have something else for her to do. Either way, though, she’d been missing out on the joy of serving the king and giving thanks for the gifts she had been given.
Sarah gave her sister a hug, and scampered out of the room with a light heart again. She was surrounded by gifts—and it was time to start living like it.
“Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:” Isaiah 42:5
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” Colossians 3:15
I’m a sinner saved by grace through Jesus Christ. I’m also a writer—I’ve been writing ever since I could hold a pen. I…
This has also ministered to me as I also thought of getting stories for the children in the church, I saw myself having behaved like Sarah. Thank God for His mercies, I will be ever grateful to God.
Praise God! Thanks for sharing.
I thought i was looking for stories for my little ones. this happened to be the first i read afters scanning through. it spoke directly to me. i have been ungrateful to the King!
And yes, if i needed that gift to complete the assignment He has for me, as desperately as i thought, He would send it.
Thank you for the write up.
Jennifer.
I’m so glad the story blessed you–thank you for sharing.
Ageless As Love Dreams to dream songs to sing. Life to live love to give. Hands to hold young and old. Nothing is ageless as love. -JK. Thru cracks in a sidewalk, dandelions grow upward, tall and strong. -JK