Presents for a princess... purple or otherwise

The other day I was sitting at the computer, keys clicking away when out of the corner of my eye I saw a touch of purple creeping around the periphery of the room. I turned to greet my sweet 9 year old daughter, Louisa, and invited her over for a chat. But instead of joining me, she skittering out of sight to a safe hiding spot.

Now my younger daughter is an odd child to be sure, but this was really unusual behavior for her. Curious, I closed down my work station and went searching for my purple princess, eager to find out exactly what was on her mind.

I found her in the next room, hidden beneath a pile of blankets.  Being the loving mother I am, I not so gently coerced my baby girl out of hiding by threatening to dog pile on top of her hideout if she didn’t show herself immediately and tell me what she was thinking.

After a great amount of arm twising and threats of tickle torture, she finally spilled her beans. “Mom, that ceramic doll that plays music,” she says to me thoughtfully, “the one your grandma painted for you when you were a little girl… Who gets that when you die?”

Ah. One of my prized possessions. Irreplaceable really, mostly because my grandmother gave it to me not long before she passed away. So yes, it’s special to me.

But you know as well as I do that my sweet little girl is way more precious to me than anything else in the world (besides her ornery siblings), and it would delight my heart to no end to give her such a precious gift when the time comes.

But the thing was, I had no idea how deeply she wanted it. And if she hadn’t worked up the nerve to ask about it I would never have know how special she thought it was.

And I think to myself, how often have I put myself in this situation? How many times have I hidden the desires of my heart from Jesus because I was afraid to ask for them? How many precious little gifts would He have been more than willing to hand me if I’d worked up the courage to ask for them?

Maybe it’s time to stop hiding under a pile of proverbial blankies and talk to Jesus about what I really want. I might be surprised at how He responds.

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