Please-let them have crayons!

So, I guess I "belong" to a church. The difference between being a visitor and a member is committment. It's more than showing up each week, it's getting involved. I am slowly becoming involved. I do go each week (and love it), I do belong to a small group (and look forward to it), and this past Sunday I did my first church activity. The church was collecting shoeboxes filled with toys/candy/etc. for Samaritan's Purse - Operation Christmas Child. These boxes are brought to children all over the world who wouldn't normally receive a Christmas gift...the purpose is to share the love of Jesus! Saturday evening around 8pm I remembered that the boxes were due on Sunday! Oops! Emily and I went to Walgreens and bought some items to fill three boxes. I was so glad that we had her that night. She is a great kid and is very aware (and appreciative) that she has a lot and there are children who don't have much at all. But, a reminder is good (for all of us)! One of the items that we put in the boxes were coloring books. We also put candy, fleece blankets and small toys. I felt so happy walking into church Sunday morning with our boxes. I could have easily dimissed putting them together, but that would just be me ignoring an opportunity and I am trying not to do that anymore.

While I was sitting in church it dawned on me that I didn't put crayons in the boxes...and all I could think was "Oh no, what if they don't have crayons?" "What if I made it worse by giving them an incomplete gift?" "What if they cry because they have coloring books and no way to color?" I couldn't shake it, still can't (obviously if it made it to this blog).

Isn't life like that though??? We see what we didn't do, what we aren't, and we hold on to that ... very tightly, I might add.

I am trying to look at the fact that three children, somewhere in the world, will touch what we have touched, will smile because someone, somewhere thought of them...prayed over the gifts even. Maybe I should have prayed before I went shopping...then I might have remembered to purchase crayons!