David trudged down the long driveway, dragging his feet in the dirt. Skippy looked at him, as if to ask what was wrong. When David reached the house, he went straight to the kitchen island, plopped a package on the table, and sat staring at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo, who\u2019s the box for?\u201d Mom asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMe. It\u2019s my birthday present from Papa and Nana,\u201d David answered. \u201cWhy would they send a package? My birthday is Sunday, and they always bring my presents with them when they come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. Why don\u2019t you open the card that\u2019s attached to the package?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David opened the envelope and withdrew a colorful birthday card with notes from both Nana and Papa inside. \u201cPapa\u2019s been sick and doesn\u2019t feel like traveling right now,\u201d David reported with sadness. \u201cMan! I was so looking forward to making cookies with Nana and hunting with Papa. It stinks that they won\u2019t be here!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut they sent a present,\u201d Mom pointed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you want to open it?\u201d Dad asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe later. Right now I\u2019m just so disappointed that they won\u2019t be here. I appreciate the gift, but I really wanted time with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou know what this makes me think of, David?\u201d Dad asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David grinned. \u201cNo, but I bet it\u2019s about God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYep! You know me well.\u201d Dad smiled. \u201cIt reminds me of the David in the Bible who was said to be \u2018a man after God\u2019s own heart.\u2019 He had a close relationship with God, even though he still messed up at times. Still, he wrote many psalms that talked about his love for God and God\u2019s presence \u2014 like Psalm 16:11: \u2018In Your presence is fullness of joy\u2019\u201d (NASB).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mom agreed. \u201cThat David understood the need to have God always with him, just as you feel the need to have Papa and Nana physically here with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWow,\u201d David said. \u201cThat makes me think about how sad God must be when I only pray and ask Him for things. I don\u2019t spend enough time just enjoying His presence, reading His Word, sharing my thoughts with Him, and listening for Him to answer. I want His presents more than His presence when I do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dad smiled. \u201cThat\u2019s a powerful insight, David.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes,\u201d agreed Mom. \u201cYou hit on a really important idea that too many people overlook. God isn\u2019t some genie in a bottle to grant wishes. He\u2019s a loving Father who wants what is best for His people, and that includes a close and loving relationship with Him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David looked thoughtful. \u201cI\u2019m going to wait to open my present until my birthday. Then I can FaceTime Papa and Nana and enjoy spending time with them that way. Right now, I\u2019m going to go upstairs and spend time with my heavenly Father by reading my Bible, asking God to help me really understand what it says, and sharing my thoughts with Him. I\u2019m going to concentrate on being in<\/em> His presence.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" David trudged down the long driveway, dragging his feet in the dirt. Skippy looked at him, as if to ask what was wrong. When David reached the house, he went straight to the kitchen island, plopped a package on the table, and sat staring at it. \u201cSo, who\u2019s the box for?\u201d Mom asked. \u201cMe. It\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1576,"featured_media":32060,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2598],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n