A Belated Christmas Gift

"You shall not steal." Exodus 20:15

This morning while rummaging through my top desk drawer, I came across an unused gift card worth $30. My initial thought was, "Oh, good! Today is grocery day and in this season of our lives, every little bit helps!" However, my elation quickly diminished as I remembered who the gift card really belonged to. It was given to our girls as a Christmas gift by a family member. I had put the card in my desk for safe keeping on Christmas morning so it would not be mistakenly thrown away with all the wrapping paper and had completely forgotten about it until today. (Obviously our girls had forgotten about it too!)

As I closed my desk drawer and headed toward the girls bedroom to tell them the good news, something strange happened...something ugly. I became tempted not to tell the girls that I had found the card and quietly use it to help pay for groceries. My "practical" way of thinking was actually tempting me to sin. For about 2 minutes I actually entertained the thought of keeping the card from the girls. Here's how the conversation in my head went:

"Wow, Lord, an unused gift card. Thanks!"
"Yes, that's great, but it's not yours, Sherrie."
"Well, technically no. But as their parent, don't I have the right to decide what the best use of this gift card should be? You see Lord, if I give it to the girls they might spend it on some frivolous toy that they don't even need. And right now Lord, wouldn't You agree that groceries supercede more toys? Besides, they have completely forgotten about this giftcard. They won't even miss it!"
"It's not yours, Sherrie. It was a gift given to the girls. What they do with it is between Me and them."
"Well, yes Lord, but..."
"Haven't I already given you money for groceries this week?"
"Uh, yes Lord, you have." (My husband had handed me just enough cash for groceries earlier this morning.)
"Then why are you considering stealing this gift from your children?"
"STEALING?! Lord, that's a bit harsh don't you think?"
(silence)
"Well, when You put it in those terms, I certainly can't keep the card. Oh Lord, You always have a way of calling my behavior what it really is. In my mind it was practical, in Your mind it was stealing. I'm so sorry, Lord."

As I proceeded to the bedroom to show the girls their belated Christmas gift, my heart suddenly became filled with joy at the thought of seeing their reaction. They squealed with delight. "What should we do with it?" they asked each other. "Let's save it!" they agreed.

The Lord was right. I was wrong. They would not rush out and spend it unwisely. It was between them and the Lord, and they had made a good decision. And the weight of my conviction only increased as I walked away and heard them call out, "Hey Mom! How do you tithe off a gift card?!"

Happy Holidays! (Or shall I say, Holydays!)