Eric, our older son, and I were chatting on the phone.
“Mom, did you happen to save my old Uncle Wiggily book from when I was little?”
Uncle Wiggily? Goodness. I hadn’t thought about that old rabbit and his adventures for years.
“I doubt that we have it,” I responded. “Didn’t each of you kids already take the children’s books you wanted as keepsakes? I think all we have are some leftovers, saved for the grandchildren.”
“No, I don’t have it either,” he replied.
“Well, maybe it was just too worn out to save.”
“Could be. I was hoping to find a copy because it would be such fun to share with our Elena when she gets a bit older.” He paused a moment. “Remember the picture of Uncle Wiggily in his car?”
This illustration from an earlier edition
No, I didn’t remember.
“The wheels were made from big, fat sausages. That was my favorite page. But every illustration was full of imaginative detail,” he reminisced.
That would explain why Eric, our artist, had such fondness for this book.
“I even checked on Craig’s List to see if anyone might have a copy, but no luck.”
Wow. He did have a big soft spot for Uncle Wiggily. And I had a big case of guilt for getting rid of it.
Why hadn’t I remembered that book was one of his favorites? How could I have thrown it away, even if it was tattered?
Months later, my husband Steve and I were sorting through boxes in the garage. Two of them contained the children’s books we still owned.
Maybe we could pare down to one box, I thought.
I started unloading the books and organizing them into piles. At the very bottom of the second box was—you guessed it–Uncle Wiggily. And it wasn’t in such bad shape after all.
I whispered a prayer of gratitude for this small but precious gift—a blessing that I hadn’t even asked for.
Does it seem to you that out-of-the-blue blessings bring the most joy? Perhaps that’s true because they give us such memorable glimpses of God’s love and grace–love and grace that are:
Undeserved
Just as he “gave” me a book I had not searched for nor prayed for, God loved and provided for each of us before we ever searched for him or prayed to know him (Matthew 5:45; Psalm 14:2).
Personal
Surely there are not many folks who would delight in finding an old copy of Uncle Wiggily. The blessing of discovering its whereabouts was, it seemed, personalized–just for me (and Eric).
Similarly, God’s love and grace are personal. He cares deeply for each of his children. Remember the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7)?
It’s true:
God loves each of us as if there was only one of us.
—St. Augustine
Last, God’s love and grace are:
Lavish
It is doubtful a copy of Uncle Wiggly will turn up at a Sotheby’s auction. It is not a valuable antique volume that collectors will pay thousands of dollars for.
But when I found that book at the bottom of the box, it was like finding buried treasure–placed there by God himself–an unnecessary but perfectly lovely, out-of-the-blue blessing from my Heavenly Father.
I couldn’t wait to call Eric and share with him the good news.
* * * * * * * * * *
What out-of-the-blue blessing have you received that caused great joy? Please share your story in the comment section below!
(Revised and reblogged from August 14, 2014 while we enjoy houseguests.)
Art & photo credits: http://www.flickr.com; http://www.commons.wikimedia.org; http://www.canva.com.; http://www.freebibleimages.com.
From the Inside Out 