Divine Arrangement

"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver"- 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV).

My daughter, all of five or six-years old, presented her grandmother, my mother-in-law, with a bouquet of yellow daffodils. Muddy footprints revealed her path into the kitchen to present her gift; accompanied by an ear-to-ear smile. My daughter epitomized the cheerful giver. I was speechless. Her grandmother gave her a long, snuggly hug, then, prepared a lovely vase for the armload of daffodils. The final arrangement adorned the middle of the table for all to see the lovely gift from her grandchild. What a beautiful, heart-warming exchange I witnessed between the two of them. As we walked out to our car, to head for home, I confirmed the big vacant patch in my mother-in-law's flower garden. Knowing eyes looked back at me when I turned to my mother-in-law. I'll never forget that day. My daughter was a cheerful giver and my mother-in-law was a cheerful receiver. Indirectly, I was gifted by being witness to the love shown to a child for a gift that ultimately cost the receiver. Our gifts to God are accepted with love, but ultimately all things belong to Him. Any gift we bring is minuscule in comparison to what God has given us: salvation at the cost of His Son. What love is this? Our Heavenly Father accepts our cheerfully-given gifts, cleans up our "muddied" pathways, calls us His child, and makes a bouquet out of our gift. That's a Divine arrangement.