Surprises

Chuck Swindoll writes, "In a recent "Dear Abby" column I read a poignant story. A young man from a wealthy family was about to graduate from high school. It was a custom in their affluent community for parents to give their graduating children a new car, and the boy and his dad had spent weeks visiting one dealership after another. The week before graduation they found the perfect car. The boy was certain it would be in the driveway on graduation night.

"On the eve of his graduation, however, his father handed him a small package wrapped in colorful paper. It was a Bible! The boy was so angry he threw the Bible down and stormed out of the house. He and his father never saw each other again.

"Several years later the news of the father's death finally brought the son home again. Following the funeral, he sat alone one evening, going through his father's possessions, when he came across the Bible his dad had given him. Overwhelmed by grief, he cracked it open for the first time. When he did, a cashier's check dated the day of his high school graduation fell into his lap-in the exact amount of the car they had chosen together. Rebuked by surprise!

Life is short. God is sovereign. All plans are in His hands, not ours."
(from Dallas Seminary Daily Devotional, 7/25/03)