Anticipation

My husband orders a lot of things by mail so yesterday was no different when a package arrived, and he quickly tore into it.  You should have seen the surprise on his face and mine!

After opening a small box from China, he held in his hand an object neither of us could identify.

He turned it around and around.  It was somewhat round with two points on the top. The body was clear so you could see through it with blue accents around the perimeter.

Did you order that? I asked.

“No.” came his quick reply.

“Well where did it come from then?” I inquired.

“I don’ know was his response.”

I took the object and looked it over. On the inside was a maze and at the very bottom was a little sliding door.

“It’s a dog toy!”  I proclaimed.

And indeed, it was a puzzle dog toy!

You know, the type of toy that you put treats in, and the dog must figure out how to get to the treats.

Immediately I thought my daughter had sent it, since in the past she had sent cute toys to our dogs.

I quickly texted her, but she hadn’t sent it.

My husband tried to trace the package but ended up at a dead end.  The return address was for a warehouse not a business.

At any rate, we had a toy for our dog for the time being, so I filled it with kibble, and gave the toy to our dog.

The dog sniffed it and looked at me with a confused expression.

I explained the process to her and shook the UFO toy, yes that’s what is was called, and in doing so a piece kibble dropped out.

She quickly gobbled it up.

I placed the toy in front of her again, but she just looked at me waiting for me to get the treat for her.

I shook the toy again, and another piece of kibble fell to the floor.

Again, she gobbled it up.

Again, I gave her the toy.

She looked at me and I told her she would have to figure it out for herself and I walked away.

She investigated.

She picked the toy up by the prongs on top and carried it around.

Then she dropped it on the floor and the kibble spilled out.

She had unlocked the secret and now she was a happy dog.

And it was so enjoyable watching her make her discovery!

We sat on the couch and laughed as she played with her new toy because this is a dog that doesn’t like toys.  She only uses toys as a backscratcher unless there is something in it for her like a treat.

While this was going on my husband finally determined that indeed this toy had been sent by mistake.

He had ordered a carburetor for the leaf blower and had gotten a UFO dog toy instead!

Oh, boy did I laugh, and you know I laughed so hard that my husband started to laugh as well!

Although he didn’t find it particular funny, he did see the humor in the moment.

He contacted the company and they said we could keep the dog toy and they would send out the correct part the next day.

Have you ever gotten something you weren’t expecting, and it turned out to be just what you needed?

The distraction of this toy had us laughing and enjoying life for a moment in a way we never anticipated.

God wants that for all of us.

God wants us to experience his world and his provision in a way we never anticipated.

When our expectations aren’t met rather than to become discouraged we need to look deeper, ,not toward our feelings, but toward God’s intention for us.

Even for our dog she didn’t see the intention of her UFO toy until she explored it a bit.

And in the same way we need to explore God’s will for us by reading his word and praying for enlightenment.

When we do this, we realize that God’s intention is not a secret to be kept but a truth to be shared. The truth is we may not always be happy, but we can always experience joy and share that joy with others.

Joy is not something we can achieve under our own strength, but the joy of the Lord is a treasure worth seeking and passing on to others.

A person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word! Proverbs 15:23