Halloween 1990.
The girls were all little and it was Abby’s first time to go trick-or-treating. She was 17 months old. Her “experienced” sisters, Janay and Brittany, were excited and were filling her in all the etiquette associated with standing at people’s front doors and begging for candy. 🙂
Decked out in colorful costumes and hyped up on the sheer adrenaline of anticipation, the girls were ready to fill their bags with all the cavity-inducing treats they possibly could.
The darkness of that cold and rainy Northwest night didn’t dampen their spirits one bit. It did, however, cause a bit of damage that we weren’t aware of until we got back home.
Janay and Brittany giggled with that childlike joy that only comes with dumping mountains of wrapped confections on the living room floor. Trading and sharing and counting began.
And there stood little Abby who had insisted on walking and carrying her own bag which was 3/4 her own size. Little Abby holding up HER bag, completely unaware that the entire bottom was missing, having been dragged through puddles and over rocks for the past hour.
We all let out an “Oh, poor thing!” And then we realized that she wasn’t sad at all. She reached into that bag and pulled out the one remaining piece of candy that had survived that Halloween trek.
“CANDY!” she declared, holding up that one tiny morsel of delight, with just as much thrill as if she, too, had a heap of goodies in front of her.
Needless to say, her sweet sisters quickly shared their bounty with her, allowing them to exercise generosity and compassion.
But that seemingly small story has stuck with me all these years later. A lesson for me in finding that nugget, that treasure of beauty and meaning and richness in the middle of what could look like a hopeless or frustrating or disappointing situation.
How many times have I said of myself, “Oh, poor thing!” when the edges of my “treat bag” seem tattered and I feel like I’ve lost it all? How often have I looked at a situation with a feeling of emptiness or deep disappointment with what WASN”T there and missed seeing that one piece that WAS?
When will my heart learn to cry, “CANDY!” when I find that treat that God has saved for me in the midst of difficulty or uncertainty or simple boredom? When will my eyes see that one shiny “wrapper” and open it to find something so delicious, so rich that if I’d dismissed it as nothing I would have missed a savory moment?
I love these verses in the Psalms that describe finding that treasure and tasting how good it is…
Psalm 34:4-9 –
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
There is ALWAYS a treasure, a treat, no matter how empty our “bag” might appear. Jesus, Himself, and knowing Him better is always an available confection in ANY circumstance or situation. We CAN’T miss that treat. It’s in there, no matter what else has fallen out.
Ask Jesus to show you, and He will. He will give you eyes to see it, to see HIM. He will give you the pallet to taste and “see that He is good”.
And He will teach us all to scream “CANDY!” when we find Him and what He has for us in any and every situation.
Jeremiah 29:13 – You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
