I recently asked my daughters to look through catalogues for things they might like for Christmas. (It’s just easier.) If they pick out several things they want, I have some things to choose from; or it gives me ideas for what types of things they are interested in NOW.
One of my girls picked out something she wanted but timidly came to her father before circling it. She said, “Dad, I really like this….but is $??.?? a lot of money?” What she was really asking was: “I know there are a bunch of us to buy gifts for and I don’t want to ask for something that costs you too much, even if I would really like to have it.”
I love her tender and considerate heart. But the gift she was afraid to ask for is well within the budget for Christmas. In fact, it wasn’t even half of what we plan to spend on her. What she doesn’t realize is that she could ask for something more than twice as much as this item she is afraid to circle!
This reminded me of what I do with God. I refrain from asking for big things. Like my daughter, I temper my requests with my perceived reasonableness. Afraid of asking too much, I timidly request too little.
The problem with my approach is that it’s NOT Biblical! Nowhere in Scripture do we find the call to ask small. Instead, we are instructed that if we ask, believing, we will receive (Matt. 7:7; John 10:10). We are told we can approach God in freedom and confidence (Eph. 3:12). And we are encouraged that He can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine in Ephesians 3:20.
Maybe…just maybe, my imagination and requests need to be enlarged today. What about yours?
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Catalogue Shopping


