To:

Say at this very moment I handed you a beautifully wrapped present. The paper was the prettiest red and gold that you had ever seen. The ribbon around the box was so perfectly placed that it looked as if it was nothing more than a picture. And the bow! Oh gracious the bow was just gorgeous! Big, fluffy, flowing...just everything a bow should be! But, as I handed you this present I refused to tell you what was inside and gave you the instructions that you couldn't open it or keep it. You had to fill out the attached gift card placing someones name in the "To:" section. Whose name would you put?

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Suppose I told you the gift was filled with your memories. Memories of your childhood, favorite Christmases, your first love, your prom, your graduation. Memories of college, friends, late nights. Memories of the day you met your husband, fun dates, your first kiss. Memories of your wedding, the cake, the people, the music. Memories of your children being born, their first steps, first words. What if I filled the gift with laughter and love? Whose name would you put on it now? Would it still be the same person as before?

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Now, suppose I told you that I filled the gift with your storms. Your heartaches, your tears. What if I filled it with your disappointments, your fears? Your sins and mistakes. That time that you stole a piece of bubble gum when you were a kid. Or, what about that time that you lied to your parents about where you were? I could fill it up with past due bills, bounced checks, a late mortgage. Whose name would you put on the gift now? Would it still be the same?

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"In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears...He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters." Psalm 18:6 and 16. We are to run to God FIRST. Not after we have tried everything else and it didn't work. Not after we messed it all up. Not after our friends couldn't help us. We are to go to him FIRST! But, also, we are to go to him with EVERYTHING. Not just our problems. Not just our distress and worries! He isn't our "fix all." He is our Lord! He is our Savior! He is our Friend!

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Imagine what your life would be like if your friends only came to you with their problems and issues. You never were able to share in their joys, their happiness, their memories. God is just waiting on us to share our lives with him. He already knows every single little thing about us but, he is just waiting on us to take the time to share it with him! He wants to hear the excitement in our voices, he wants to see the smile on our face. In times of struggle and storms he is there to wrap us up in his arms and cradle us but he is also there to throw his arms around us and rejoice with us as well! Whose name would you put on the "To:" line today?